Bob has taught me so many life-lessons it’s surreal.  Mindfulness, unconditional love, the importance of touch, texture… having frequest snacks… only licking what tastes good…

Living more with more purity is the way that animals rival even our sophisticated human minds in their depth of joy and presence.  Dogs are wise and simple all at once.

Today, my Feng Shui mentor, Gabriele Van Zon, explores the depths of what dogs know about feng shui.

What Does Your Pooch Know About Feng Shui? by Gabriele Van Zon, Feng Shui Universal

He might know more than we do with his intimate connection to nature (tao), his sense of harmony and balance (yin & yang), his sensory perception (qi or chi) and his sense of place (desirable or stressful areas). First of all, he knows that he is energetically connected to the environment, and of course so are we, but he’s is constantly testing these connections. And how does he do this? Our pet pooches experience everything with their senses; in fact, they have a much more immediate sense of awareness about everything they encounter.

In feng shui we talk about qi (chi), but we rarely acknowledge that we experience qi with our senses. Our pets have a more intense sensorial system, and they utilize it on all levels. Their olfactory capacity is foolproof and leads them directly to the source. Sniffing a blade of grass reveals whether friend or foe have recently passed by. As a directional device, his nose is better than your GPS as he digs for a tossed morsel of food. At airport luggage belts, a beagle will find hidden drugs, food or whatever else his sniffer has been trained for.

Our sense of hearing is supposed to be the fastest of our senses, so how can it be that our pooch is on high alert because he heard a knock on the door while you’re still trying to figure out what just happened. While we think of our sense of vision as superior, your pooch will have jumped at the cat leaping into the bushes before you ever saw it. Movement is an important component in detecting what captures the gaze.

For his sense of touch, your pooch can be very finicky in selecting different spots for different functions. My Chihuahua boy much prefers soft carpet to slick tile or linoleum which to him feels slippery and insecure. He prefers to feed up on a sofa, elevated and on a small towel which he might opt to fold around his dish, either to cover it up or create a well through which he can reach his bowl. If he then decides to take a nap, he will scratch a blanket into a plush pile, do a few twists and turns before settling into his nesting mode.

Our pooch knows how to balance yin and yang, alternating play and exercise in spirited yang mode with deep relaxation in quiet yin time. Cocooning and nesting are typical for time out and signing off from external stimuli. Then, as the pendulum swings, your apple watch might say “it’s time to get up and move” while your pooch will beckon you to take a break and activate your tao connection to nature. “Let’s go for a walk” his eyes are pleading as his nose points to the leash.

Just like humans, pets need to feel safe and secure. If trained properly, your pooch likes to be on a leash because it’s his life line, a secure connection to the master. The leash gives definition of how far it is safe to stray and explore.

Communicating with your pet can be vocal or silent. Voice commands are mnemonic devices for discipline and vocabulary building, while repetition solidifies steady communication. Your pooch, however, has his own set of voice commands. While he may patiently sit next to his toy and wait for you to pay attention, he may also give you a quick yelp, just to let you know that he wants you to toss a ball so he can run and fetch. His voice commands have a range from little grunts and a nudge asking to be petted to raspy moans announcing hunger pangs at dinner time.

According to the latest research in neuroplasticity, humans and animals have mirror cells in their brains. That might explain why your pooch will mirror what you feel as well as anticipate what your next move might be. He’ll be clingier and try to cuddle when you’re feeling out of sorts.

The behavior of our pets can teach us a lot about being connected to our natural environment and finding balance between active yang and calming yin.

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And, if you want to dive in to your own personalized feng shui in a modern, practical way, Say hello to Feng Shui 101.  Its the guide I made for you to create your own personalized feng shui at home, in the office, wherever you may be… in 8 weeks.  It’s not filled with strict rules or what you “must” do.  Its filled with information, questions, exercises and even videos and classes to help you confidently create amazing spaces with killer feng shui and live with more flow.   Learn more about the 8-week feng shui adventure & grab your copy to get started right HERE…  And, as always, please let me know what happens!