Learn the basics of feng shui, a centuries-old Chinese philosophy. Improving one’s surroundings is a fundamental notion that may lead to profound personal growth. It may be challenging for city dwellers to feel healthy, happy, and at home in cramped, compact, and sometimes poorly constructed environments like city flats. Here is where you might expect assistance from feng shui, an ancient Chinese practice.
Wind and water are at the heart of Feng Shui. It’s a technique for becoming in tune with one’s environment. Not a religion per, yet with some similarities to Taoism.
The way you respond to the world outside may be reflected in your house if you decorate it in a way that is both harmonious and eclectic. As Feng Shui Manhattan’s Laura Cerrano puts it, “it becomes a metaphor for everything.” The idea may seem a little… out there, but rest assured, there is some substance to back it up.
Living conditions that are too cramped may be stressful and detrimental to our health. How we feel and perform is profoundly influenced by the places we spend our time and the things we surround ourselves with, according to studies. Indeed, this line of thinking is central to the practice of feng shui.
Many proponents of feng shui believe that by making a few little adjustments to one’s surroundings, one might improve their health, love life, and financial situation.
Here are 3 Major Factors of Feng Shui: What It Is, the Five Elements, and Real-Life Tips;
1. The Five Elements Of Feng Shui
By balancing the flow of energy in your home, Feng Shui may help you make the most of your Living Situation. The world is divided into five categories in feng shui:
wood
creativity and development
fire
leadership and courage
earth
power and steadiness
metal
laser-like focus and logical organization
water
emotion and motivation
Maintaining a harmonious equilibrium between these five factors at home helps promote the growth of the qualities they represent.
Feng shui experts in China also came up with a tool called a Bagua map, which details several “stations” in one’s life. Some examples of these include prosperity, happiness in love, and public recognition. Different sections of a home or other structure have these names.
The Bagua map may be aligned with your home’s floor plan to assist you to choose the best spots for decorative accents like paint, artwork, and furniture. If you’re feeling unsatisfied with any facet of your life, you could find relief by making adjustments there.
2. Balance energies to build your space
Feng shui also involves striking a balance between the yin and yang energy. Having both is ideal for a comfortable home environment in a dwelling.
Yin is feminine energy, associated with:
nighttime
coolness
quiet
Yang is masculine, denoting:
the sun
sociability
heat
By manipulating these forces, you can alter the atmosphere of a room.
3. How to practice feng shui in real life
For this reason, there is no universal feng shui formula that can be applied to every given home. Consider enrolling in a course or working with an expert if you want to completely transform a small, outdated flat. If, however, you are a curious experimenter, try these steps.
(1) Reduce the amount of stuff you have, particularly in your bedroom.
Eliminating clutter is Cerrano’s number one recommendation for improving the feng shui of your whole home. Clutter is a trap that everyone falls into, she adds, whether they have a million dollars or are struggling with unemployment. It has been scientifically proved that mental clutter may harm the neurons in your brain, therefore decluttering your space is important for more than simply aesthetic reasons. As a result, anxiety rises. Given the impact that Marie Kondo’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” had on households and media outlets worldwide, this is not surprising.
(2) pretend that you have neighbors.
According to feng shui, you should “act as if” you already have the person you want in your life. As Cerrano puts it, “Ask yourself whether your flat is ready for the next guest to check in.” One towel Represents One Life, and if you only have one, your spirit must be content with that. This means you should bring two towels to the beach rather than one. Though they haven’t come in a body, pretend as though they’re already present. Breaking up with your ex is step one in getting over a breakup and moving on with your life. Cerrano explains, “We use the phrase ‘energetic cord’.” You’re generating an energy link to that individual if you still have all these things from your previous relationship strewn over your house. It’s best to let go of the baggage from a failed relationship on your own time.
(3) The addition of woody plants has been shown to increase production and financial success.
Cerrano says that having a plant or two on your desk or in your workplace might increase productivity and hence your income.
Wood is an element associated with making new connections, expanding an existing one, amassing money, and discovering new possibilities. Put a business card in plain sight on your workstation.
