What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is the practice of balancing life's energy. Find out more about it!

The practice of Feng Shui has been used by the Chinese for centuries. Translated, the name "Feng Shui" means the wind and the water. These are considered to be two of the most important forms of energy. The basic idea of this age-old practice is to make our environments as beneficial as possible to our health and well being. That is, if our life energy is balanced, then good things and happiness will surely come to us. This is achieved by making the natural energy in a room or an entire building flow naturally and positively. The Chinese believe that this is achieved by the proper placement as well as the designs of rooms and buildings.

You can apply Feng Shui to your home or work space by first considering the current layout of each room. Your bedroom, for example, should be a place of perfect rest and relaxation. The color scheme of the room should be calm, peaceful, and inducive to sleep. The furniture should only reflect the sole purpose of the room. A desk, for example, would be out of place in a bedroom. The ideal place for a desk would be in a den or office. In using Feng Shui, it is believed that when you are in bed, your feet should not point straight out of a door. Also, your back should not face the doorway either. Your bed should be located as far away from the door as possible.

Another important room on your house is your living room. It should be lighted and decorated in a pleasing manner. The furniture should be comfortable and inviting and positioned so that people can sit and talk to each other easily. Again, your living room should be used or designed for one use only. Exercise equipment or office furniture should not occupy this room.

You can walk through and check every room of your house and see if you need to make any changes in the decorations or furniture placement.

Another important aspect to consider in the practice of Feng Shui, is the smell of your home or office. Take a deep breath and let your nose find out. Does the air smell fresh? You may choose to light a scented candle or use another form of an air freshener in order to make the room smell better.

What about the sounds in each room? Walk through and listen carefully. Is there a television set or a radio blaring loudly? Loud noises do not contribute to the harmonic flow that you are trying to create.

There are some other principles of Feng Shui which apply to your life in general. One principle is, that is something becomes broken, you should fix it. Items that are left broken and unfixed may be symbolic of "broken" things or unsolved problems in your life. A second principle is clutter and hoarding unneeded items. This may be a sign that you wish to hold onto old habits, whether they are good or not. Discard unused items that have not been used in a year or so.