Guest Post from Dr. Michael Bittner, ZenSpot, Inc.

Dead plants, front yard clutter, a burned out porch light can all affect your career. That run down shed in the back corner of your property may be the barrier to a more fulfilling relationship. Really.

Look around. What do you want to change about your life? What areas concern you? The Chinese use a bagua map and look at the cardinal points of a compass, the associated spirit animals and their energy. Part of the practice of Feng Shui, a bagua map, is easy to draw and can give you insights that may not otherwise be obvious to you.

The bagua map can be applied to a single room, an interior of your home or to your entire property. It’s this latter application that isn’t always considered, but should be! Here’s how to do it.

1. Make a sketch of the whole lot, where your home is located, along with any other significant structures (like that run down garden shed, patio or deck, etc.).
2. Divide your lot into nine equal sections – drawing two lines vertically and two horizontally. Keep the distance between the lines equal. The result is nine equal sections – the bagua.
3. Align the entrance of the property along the Knowledge and Self-cultivation, Career and Helpful People & Travel side of the bagua – your entrance may fall into any one section or overlap.

Now you can understand the corresponding sections of the bagua and the prevailing energies of your current space. Observe these spaces and reflect on areas of your life that seem stuck or out of sorts.

Some questions to ask:

• Career: Does your doorbell work? Is the entrance well lit? Are the plants healthy?
• Love, Marriage & Relationships: Is the area colorful and inviting? Do you have read or pink the area? Are items paired?
• Wealth & Prosperity: Do you have items in this part of your yard or garden that activate the energy around wealth and prosperity? Do you have purple, greens or reds? What about a fountain? Have you planted round-leaf plants or hung a wind chime?
• Health & Family: Do you have rotten wood or dead plants in this part of your property? Do you have wooden furniture, such a bench or bridge? Are the plants lush and green and healthy?

In each of the nine areas, be critical and self-reflective. What are the parts of your life that need attention and how does that correlate to the bagua map and the focus you’re putting on those parts of your home and property? And really, get rid of the dead plants around the door. They’re ruining your career.

About Dr. Michael Bittner

Dr. Michael Bittner hasn’t had a single dead plant at the front door in a long time. He knows that Feng Shui is substantive and meaningful based on his own life, what he’s seen in the yoga studio and in the lives of his clients. As a native westerner, he brings a complementary blend of western practicality, free spirit and authenticity to teaching, fitness, interior design and organizational management to his role as co-founder and managing partner of ZenSpot, Inc.

Michael earned a Ph.D. and master’s degrees from the University of Washington and graduate credential in Feng Shui Interior Design from the Sheffield School of Interior Design in New York City. Michael is an E-RYT with the Yoga Alliance; a certified life and stress management coach through New Vibe training and The Spencer Institute and a Lifestyle and Weight Management Specialist through NESTA (National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association).

ZenSpot, Inc., is a hot yoga, human empowerment and Feng Shui design company dedicated to creating positive life balance for mind, body, and spirit. ZenSpot is based in Eugene, Oregon, with expansion planned throughout the Pacific Northwest.