Living With Feng Shui

| 03/08/2012 | 0 Comments More

Ive lived previously in a house that I set up with the principles of Feng Shui, and it did feel so much more relaxing than just putting furniture in with the only thought of does it fit and does it look ok there…

Recently I saw a book about Feng Shui Living and a recent article in a national paper and it got me thinking that with currently looking at redecorating much of my house, Id look to use Feng Shui influences, it really does have a calming feeling.

Have you ever walked into a room that you just didnt feel comfortable in?  And you couldn’t  figure out what was wrong… The chances are the Yin/Yang components  were out of  balance.

By learning some simple concepts you can arrange your home  to support needs of each room and of the people who live there and create a  greater sense of harmony, comfort and balance.

Yin and Yang are at the foundation of the Ancient Practice of Feng  Shui. It  has to do with the recognition that the universe is made up of  opposite forces  of energy which cannot exist without each other. They  are finely balanced and,  like polar sides of a magnet, are innately  attracted to each other.

The Yin/Yang symbol depicts two fish gliding  together in perfect  balance. Each is carrying components of the other; the  black fish with the  white eye and the white fish with the black eye. They swim together in perfect  harmony creating a circle, the most  ancient symbol depicting wholeness.

Feng Shui acknowledges that we are ancient creatures who naturally  seek  balance. If our living spaces are not balanced, our lives feel out  of balance  as well. By learning to work with the Yin and Yang components  in our homes, we  create supportive spaces that bring our home into balance, setting up a template  that also brings our lives into balance.

The concept of Yin refers to the qualities we  attribute to the feminine principle which is  passive, dark and yielding. Yang refers to the qualities we attribute to the male  principle which is  bright, active and extroverted.

Applying Yin/Yang to our Homes:

So what does this all mean in terms of applying it to physical  environments?

First we identify the use of the room, i.e. is it an active or restful space.  Then we incorporate objects, shapes, colors, furniture and art that supports  activity or restfulness depending upon which quality we are working with.

If it is a restful room we would want to incorporate more Yin   features. In  active spaces, we would want more Yang features. The key, however, is to   make  sure we always have  some of both qualities and not an over   abundance of  either.

Creating a Yin Restful Space:

Yin rooms would be the places you want the  energy  to calm down to support  rest, relaxation and rejuvenation. These  would be  bedrooms, living rooms, possibly family rooms (if used for  more restful  activities), bathrooms and dining rooms.

Yin objects to add to the space to make it more restful would be  circular-shaped objects; darker, more muted colors; lower, darker and more  cushy upholstered furniture; fabrics of soft chenille, velvet and corduroy;  as well as fabrics with more detail. You can also add carpeting and   area rugs,  patterns and more circular shapes, such as floral prints. The lighting should be  more muted and the paint colors softer or greyed-down. In building  materials, adobe,   brick and stucco would be considered more Yin materials. In  design   history, the eras that incorporated Yin qualities would be the  Victorian   era, Louis IV and V, and the Baroque period, all which incorporated  curved lines, plush, over-stuffed furniture with lots of detail and  intricacy.

How to Fix Your Too-Yin Room:

You can fix a room that is too restful and should be more active by removing  patterns with detail and creating straighter, more modern lines with art and  furniture, removing area rugs and pillows, and weeding out some of the plants  and the smaller collections of things.

Think of making it Zen, with more empty spaces that breathe (clutter clearing included!) A bigger fix would be to  paint the walls whites, pastels or brighter colors, removing the carpeting and  bringing in hardwood or tile, replacing curtains with light-colored shutters and  opening up the room to bring in more light.

Creating Yang Active Spaces

Active, Yang rooms would be kitchens, home   offices, work-out rooms, children’s play rooms (if separate from their   bedroom), garages, laundry rooms, hallways and study spaces if they are not in  the bedroom. (Study, exercise and work areas should not be located in the restful bedroom spaces).

To create a more active space, you can incorporate brighter lighting, whites  and/or bolder  colors, more angular or square-shaped furniture that is not  upholstered and accessories with less detail and straighter lines. Bold stripes  and geometrical shapes in larger prints would be considered more Yang qualities  along with slicker leathers, plastics, vinyls, silks and synthetics. Yang  materials would be hardwood, cement, tile and any hard-surface materials.

The more highly manufactured materials such as glass, metal, and plastic are  also considered more Yang. Think of a modern room with high ceilings, a lot of  glass, light and metal, with angular shapes and straight lines. The period in  history that introduced more Yang features into architecture would be the  Bauhaus era in Germany in the 1920′s, the precursor to our modern-day  architecture.

If you are attracted to a more Yang, Zen and clean look, make sure to still  incorporate furniture with more rounded edges. Sharp-edged furniture is  considered weapon-like in Feng  Shui. Our homes always need to be “people-friendly” no matter the style of decor you are drawn to. A good rule of  thumb is if you can bruise yourself, stub your toe, bump your head or knock into  it and injure yourself, or if it looks like or is a weapon, it is not  considered friendly and should be removed from your living space.

Modern Spaces Still Need Nature!

The downside of much modern architecture is that it does not often bring in  the natural world. As people who came from 100,000 generations of ancestors who  lived in nature, we don’t feel truly “at home” unless we have it represented in  our living and work spaces. This is a part of the Five Elements teaching and an integral part of Feng Shui.  Bring in photos of nature, plants, animal prints, shells,  wood, earthen-ware objects, and water features to make your Yang space more  inviting.

How to Fix your too-Yang room:

You  can fix a room that is too Yang and should be more restful by bringing   in chenille and/or cushy pillows and throws in muted colors and earth  tones,  more detailed fabrics, adding plants and trees, nature art, and  area rugs. For  a bigger fix, paint the walls a restful, darker color and  create more muted  lighting and bring in darker window coverings. Think of creating a cave-like, comfy space that inspires you to want to curl up and read a book.

Remember, the key is to have a balance of both Yin and Yang qualities in  every  room, emphasizing more Yin or Yang features depending upon the use of   the space. Your very-bright, Yang bedroom will not support rest and rejuvenation  and your dark and cozy Yin home office will not support you getting anything  done. Knowing how to apply Yin and Yang principles to your home will support the  needs and lives of the people living there and allow everyone to flourish.

Once you have achieved an appropriate Yin/Yang balance in each room, you will  be well on your way to creating a balanced and harmonious home  that supports,  uplifts, and nurtures your lives!

 

 

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Category: BLOG, HOMEspa

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