Inspire Your Home & Life with Feng Shui instructor Nicolette Vajtay became a student of human behavior early in life and it began with theatre. From playing a doll in Santa’s workshop in the second grade to a professional acting career that took her to Off-Broadway productions and a stint in LA, Vajtay made her life a study of those qualities that drive, empower and inspire us.
“I have studied characters inside and out and asked, ‘What is this character thinking? What do they believe? What do they hope their actions will accomplish? What are their fears and joys? Why do they do the things they do?’” she says. “To support my acting I also study self-empowerment and spiritual psychology, which has absolutely helped me to understand that which drives an individual (or a character) to follow a passion, express a purpose, or travel down a dark and lonely path.”
In addition to nearly a lifetime acting and directing, Vajtay also added writing to her repertoire. Over the last 16 years, she has written sixteen stage plays, a novel, and recently begun work on a collection of short stories.
Vajtay admits the three decades she spent studying acting did not put her on a direct path to practice Feng Shui, but she was delighted to discover how well it set her up for success. “I was awed when I realized how prepared I was to connect with and understand my clients without judgement,” she says. “I was open to hearing all of their amazing, scary, terrifying, delightful life stories, whether filled with profound joys or sad challenges. It gave me the ability to hold their obstacles without judgement. And when there is no judgment, both my client and I can dive deep and apply the wisdom of Feng Shui to help create healing.”
Though theatre does not occupy the same space in her life it once did, Vajtay is adamant its value will never depreciate. “I love how the theatre can inspire, uplift, challenge, question beliefs, and so much more,” she says. “It makes me feel that acting and writing are acts of service, reflecting an often dramatic life moment to your audience and showing how these particular characters succeed or fail. There is something wonderful about playing a fictional character on stage, to honestly express their good, bad and ugly qualities, and hope you leave a lasting effect on an audience member. I know how theatre and movies have deeply touched my life, but it’s rare that you hear stories from your audience members about how your performance may have inspired or challenged them in ways that changed their lives.”
VaJtay says Feng Shui and the arts are similar acts of service. “Most clients reach out to me when something isn't going so well in life,” she says. “Maybe their relationship is on thin ice, or their creativity has dried up, or their career isn't going so well so finances are tight and they're working extra hours. Perhaps they don't have time to build their new business or write their book and their spouse wants more time and the kids are missing their mom/dad, and friends wonder where you disappeared? We all have our life stories, but no one has given us the gift of writing a happy ending. I truly believe the ancient wisdom of Feng Shui guides us into creating healthy environments in which we may find and express our best selves.”
Vajtay began her exploration of Feng Shui in the early 1990s by reading books and taking classes. “Strangely, I had success just by playing with the ancient principles. I think this playtime proved to me that there was something here, something worth exploring. So in 2003 I started my business,” she says. “For the past 25 years I've been a seeker of spiritual and personal growth and I have learned from both science and from spirituality that everything is energy. We can be pushed and shoved around by that energy, or we can intentionally affect that energy to work in our favor!”
Clients came to call Vajtay “The Practical Feng Shui Lady” thanks to her success in finding ways to make Feng Shui available to anybody and everybody. “Feng Shui is the practice of observing the energy in the environment, and seeing how the energy is affecting your nervous system,” she says. “Science has shown us that if you feel you need to protect yourself in a dangerous environment, to run away, or hide with fear, then your brain releases chemicals into the body (adrenaline, cortisol, etc.), which are thankfully released to help you survive and get to safety. Usually in today’s environments, we don’t need that kind of help anymore – we’re not running from bears or tigers! However, our modern day stresses like the constant new information from computers and phones, not to mention bills, children, jobs, news, music and noise may create a similar feeling, thus sending a similar message of danger to the brain. The chemicals released into your system will affect your mood, thinking, creativity and your productivity … pretty much everything. This impacts how you live your life, and may affect whether you are successful, creative, positive, and easy to be around, not to mention your physical health too.”
Vajtay points out your home, including the architectural design of the house and the placement of décor may be triggering your nervous system in harmful ways of which you are unaware. “Through years of study, I have been trained to recognize those triggers, and how they will affect you,” she says. “Even better, I also know the ancient wisdom, or energetic design solutions to resolve those problem areas. Wouldn’t it be delightful (and healing) to know that your home is triggering your nervous system to relax, rejuvenate, rest, connect, create, laugh, play, enjoy and so much more? When we have a healthy environment we have healthy people living in that environment.”
In short, Vajtay believes Feng Shui is like acupuncture for the home. “In acupuncture, when the chi (life energy) is flowing through the body, the body is healthy. An acupuncturist will use needles to stimulate the body back to its innate healing process. With Feng Shui, I will help you stimulate your environment; thankfully, I don’t use needles! We will place the furniture in an empowering position, paint a wall an auspicious color, clear the clutter, hang intentional art, and so much more. Once you have an intentional environment and the energy is flowing through the home, you will feel more focused, present, creative, inspired, and open. You’ll be in a healthy home with a healthy nervous system so you can make good choices, see new opportunities, thrive in work and love, and create the life you so desire."
For Vajtay, our homes are more than just dwellings, they become another entity with whom we must interact and communicate. “I believe that our home is always talking to us!” she says. “If you want to know what is going on in your life, all you need to do is look at your home. You'll find messes in certain areas, you'll find blank spaces, dark spaces, or over crowded spaces with too many knick-knacks, an abundance of one color or a total lack of color. If you pause, breathe and feel into your home, it will tell you whether you feel peaceful or overwhelmed.”
In that regard, our homes are a mirror for our lives. “You can start seeing how the home is simply reflecting back to you what is going on inside of you. If you are stressed or overworked, unwell, angry or depressed, you might find that your home falls into disarray and disrepair. That is just a natural reaction, conscious or unconscious, to living your life.”
“Sometimes that disarray can happen when you think you are doing okay, when you feel relatively happy,” says Vajtay. “That can be happening because of a deep-seated fear, doubt or worry about your life expressing itself. It may also be because of an architectural design flaw of the home (identified by a Feng Shui principle of course).”
When Vajtay first enters a client’s home, she identifies the challenged areas. “I guess you can say they are just out of alignment,” she says. “Then like a therapist and chiropractor, we'll uncover the underlying fears, doubts, or beliefs that have created the mess, make some adjustments with Feng Shui cures, and create a healthier home. Maybe most importantly, you will also realign with your highest sense of self where you feeling empowered and loved and abundant and joyful!”
Positive energy lifters for the home are abundant and identifying spaces that inhibit energy flow is a holistic methodology. “Every home is different, as every person is different. Every client I work with is a unique experience and the lifters and depleters are particular to their life circumstances and heart’s desires,” says Vajtay. “There are thousands and thousands of Feng Shui cures to consider and things that deplete your home of good energy. For example, a big Feng Shui boo-boo is walking into a home where you meet the stairs. The stairs create a downward rush of energy that pushes the new energy out the front door. Walking into a dining room first is another boo-boo, because the dining table represents our long-term financial investments. If the table is too close to the front door, your ‘abundance’ energy leaks out. Not to mention entering the home from a back door into a kitchen, which may create eating disorders and weight gain. Three tiny examples just on how entering your home can create challenges in your life - we haven't even gotten to the living room!”
Vajtay says students joining her class need to be familiar with Feng Shui and may look forward to learning to identify hundreds of energy lifters and energy depleters. “I know that everyone will go home with a deep understanding of this lovely practice,” she says. “I will absolutely bust any of the myths you have heard in the past, and you will never see your home the same again. You will learn how to listen to your home, which is really listening to your highest self, so you can avoid crisis. You'll have new skills and knowledge to navigate the challenges life tends to throw at us. This class will be like cataract surgery (Without the surgery part!). You will leave with new eyes and an ability to see your life in new ways. You'll also have knowledge to support yourself through the hard times (which always seem to come at the worst time). Most of all I know you will have FUN!”
Learn more about Inspire Your Home & Life with Feng Shui.
Learn more about Nicolette Vajtay’s Feng Shui practice by visiting her website and YouTube Channel, Inspired Living Feng Shui with Nicolette Vajtay.