Feng Shui and bed placement: what is the optimal position for your bed? I wrote this blog post to answer a question from a Facebook follower. I often get asked for advice on how to best position a bed. This is a common question in Feng Shui and an important one. I sometimes forget how helpful it can be to get back to the basics. I have included two room layouts that were submitted by Facebook followers. I redrew them and added some details to clarify the layouts.

Each bedroom is different and some can be quite challenging to work with but there are a few basic rules that you can start with.

Some basic rules to follow when trying to position your bed:

1. Find the command position: positioning your bed so you can see the main entry to the bedroom when you are lying in bed. This allows you see what is coming, giving you more control over your life and a sense of ease. Figure 1 shows an ideal scenario.
2. Avoid your feet being in-line with the main door: This applies especially if you are in a small room and the distance from the foot of the bed is less than your own height.
3. Avoid having your head/body in-line with the door: Again the distance from the open door is important. The closer you are to the door the greater the impact. Being in the direct path of chi can be too much energy along the midline of the body or head. Figure 2b
4. Head on the same wall as the main door: This placement means no vision or ability to see what is coming. This can keep you on edge and subconsciously you are never fully at ease. Figure 3b
5. Bed in-line with a bathroom door: this is draining energy especially if the toilet is also in-line with the bed. Figure 3a

What if your bed has to be positioned in one of the scenarios above?

Most times bedrooms are not built with Feng Shui in mind and you have to work with what you’ve got. There are often lots of windows, doors, corners and weird shapes in a bedroom. So how do you choose the best place for your bed?

Figure 2a shows a room with limited options for optimal bed placement. Do you place it in-line with the main door putting your head in the path of chi as shown in figure 2b? Or do you try to place it in the command position as far from the main door as possible as shown in figure 2c?

Figure 2c sounds like it would be the best option but take a closer look. There are a few issues: first off the head of the bed is compressed into a smaller space. This means no side tables and difficult access on both sides. The corner of the closet is pointing directly at the sleeper, meaning there is negative, sharp chi directed at their mid-section. Even though the bed is far from the main door the command view is obstructed by the closet wall. Also, and most importantly, the view of the door is probably going to be split by the closet wall (only half the door being visible from your vantage point) repeatedly waking up and seeing this split view could cause discord, anxiety and stress.

Optimal bed placement is often not possible and you have to choose the least problematic option or best worst one ☺. Given the options, and the fact that one wall has three windows in a row, figure 2b is best but it has to be adjusted with a Feng Shui cure. This is why we have Feng Shui cures, because life isn’t always perfect so we have to adjust and shape it. In figure 2b the chi needs to be moved and refracted so that it no longer flows in a direct line. The simplest and most straightforward way to correct this is to hang a Feng Shui crystal from the ceiling at the halfway point between the edge of the bed and the door threshold. Hang the crystal 9″ down from the ceiling with a red string to activate it further.

The bedroom layout in figure 3 is a little more straightforward. The position of the bathroom door makes it difficult to place the bed in the command position. As mentioned in the rules above you do not want your bed to be in direct line with the bathroom as in figure 3a. If this is unavoidable in your own bedroom then make sure you keep the bathroom door closed and consider hanging a Feng Shui crystal from the ceiling between the foot of the bed and the bathroom door.

Figure 3b has the head on the door wall, again this limits your scope and you have no direct view of the door when you are in bed. If this is the only possible way to position your bed then consider hanging a mirror in an area that will reflect the door so you are able to see it when you are lying in bed. Note: do not hang the mirror if you suffer from insomnia.

The best placement for the bed in this layout is figure 3c; you can easily see the main door and the sleeper’s body is just outside the path of chi flowing to and from the bathroom. The only down side with this placement is that the bed is between two windows. This can affect your quality of sleep. To lessen the effect of the windows get a solid, preferably upholstered headboard and add soft roman blackout blinds to the windows.