Natural Health

Although feng shui was first used as a way of divining the right sites for the family tomb, the Chinese soon spotted its potential for helping them design homes, communities and even cities.

But what on earth does the way you decorate and arrange your house have to do with your health and wellbeing?

What Is Feng Shui?

Literally translated, feng shui means wind and water. It works on the principal that where you live and work, and how you use and arrange your rooms and furniture, can seriously affect your health, wealth and happiness.

In Hong Kong feng shui is part of everyday life and many people would not dream of renting a flat or buying a house before it had been surveyed by a feng shui practitioner. Major banks and businesses in the Far East take feng shui so seriously that they willingly rebuild part of their offices if they fear the flow of positive energy is blocked.

In the West many celebrities and business entrepreneurs are keen supporters of this ancient art. Donald Trump, Richard Branson, Boy George, Madonna, and Anita Roddick of the Body Shop have all used the services of a feng shui expert.

How Does Feng Shui Works?

In oriental medicine the life energy force is known as chi; in turn this energy is made up of yin (passive, feminine) qualities and yang (active, masculine) qualities. If you have ever visited an acupuncturist you may have heard them talk about yin and yang and the energy that flows through so-called meridians or channels in the body. Feng shui practitioners maintain that the chi carried via wind and water around our environment is equally as important to our wellbeing.

A bit like the plumbing, if the chi energy flows unblocked and balanced in our homes and work­places then, according to feng shui, we’ll feel much happier and healthier. Blocked chi is a definite no-no as, much like a blocked drain, it causes the atmosphere to stag­nate which affects the health and positive emo­tions of the people it surrounds. Just as damaging is chi that flows too fast because, as with a burst pipe, you can end up ankle deep in bad chi.

What Does A Feng Shui Consultant Do?

Whereas your common or garden plumber concentrates on which pipe is causing the problem, a feng shui consultant looks at the bigger picture. He or she surveys the location of your home or office and the shape of the land; the directions your rooms face – north, south, east or west – and in what part of the house the different rooms are positioned.

They will then chart the flow of chi around the house and garden or workplace, and whether this flow is being blocked or allowed to flow too fast. And just to con­fuse the issue, not all feng shui consultants use the same methods. Some concentrate mainly on where your house is situated, what buildings surround it and how you’ve placed the furniture in each room. Others use a special compass surrounded by I Ching symbols to work out which parts of the house are the most auspicious; whereas some also calculate your personal best directions and positions, based on Chinese birth signs and lucky numbers.

Feng shui experts don’t normally come cheap. There are now so many so-called experts practicing feng shui that you shouldn’t call in the first one you come across. Instead, check their credentials with a recognized feng shui society. Learning the art of feng shui takes a lot of time and effort and it is not something you can pick up over a weekend.

How Can You Improve Your Feng Shui?

Unfortunately, although there are general tips that apply to most homes, it is not easy to apply many of the principles of feng shui without the help of an expert. First, you would have to use a pa kua and place this over a plan of your home to divide your house into the eight important sectors. Use a compass to match the north and south directions with your pa kua map so you can tell where each of your ‘corners’ lies. You then apply various principles – e.g. don’t put your laundry basket in your relationship corner, and try and use a room in the north sector for your bedroom.

If you don’t feel you can go the whole way and call in a consultant just yet, never fear, there are still a few more general changes and ‘cures’ that feng shui practitioners say can help improve the energy flow around your home and office without you doing any drastic building work.

Step By Step Guide To Basically Feng Shui Your Home

Front Door

The front door to your home and office is not only the first thing that visitors see, but is also a gateway for the different types of chi that can be drawn into your life.

Problems and cures

X Opens onto a direct obstruction such as a high wall, tree, or telegraph post – chi is blocked
? Use the back door instead of the front

X Faces sharp roof lines or satellite dishes, a church spire, or sharp points of a fence – these form ‘poison arrows’ that shoot bad chi into your house
? Hang a pa kua mirror (similar to the pa kua map, left) above the outside of the door to deflect the poison arrows (these should never be used indoors)

X Faces a church, railway or cemetery the chi will be too dense
? Plant shrubs and plants in your front garden to enliven the chi

X Faces onto a T-junction or the end of a cul-de-sac – chi will flow in too fast
? Build a low wall in front of the house and plant shrubs to slow down the negative chi (see above right)

Hallway

Once inside the front door a whole new set of obstacles can disrupt the smooth flow of chi.

Problems and cures

X Bad lighting – blocks the flow of chi
? Put in more lights

X A mirror reflecting the front door – this sends chi back through the door
? Take down the mirror and replace it with a painting of an inviting landscape

X A passageway going straight through to the back door – this allows chi to flow straight out of the door
? Hang some wind chimes just inside the front door – wind instruments increase the smooth flow of chi

Living Room/Dining Room

The best feng shui for living room or dining room is in the south, south-east, south-west and west of the home. We all want our family rooms to be warm and welcoming but the layout and design can very easily upset the chi.

Problems and cures

X Clutter and disorder is a definite no-no it traps chi and allows it to stagnate
? Make the rest of the family help you keep the house tidy

X L-shaped rooms – affect the flow of chi and create sharp corners that send ‘secret arrows’
? Hang a mirror on the missing part of an L-shaped room

X Furniture, chairs and sofas with their back to windows and doors – chi flies out of the window
? Hang wooden wind chimes in the window or door opening

X Overhead beams – oppress the energy of the person below
? Hang bamboo flutes on overhead beams to counteract the negative chi

X Too many pale colors – too much yin
? Use cushions, throws or rugs in darker colors to bring more yang into the room

X Too many dark colors – too much yang
? Use plants and flowers around the room to soften the yang effect

Kitchen

The best feng shui for the kitchen is towards the east or south-east of the home. The kitchen is regarded as an important place of wellbeing by the Chinese as food represents wealth. But with fire and water being the main elements, it is all too easy to throw out the balance of yin and yang.

Problems and cures

X Stove next to the sink or fridge – this places fire and water side by side
? Put a metal or wooden partition, even a low one, between the stove and the sink, or fridge

X Having a stove facing the kitchen door – this leaves you with your back to the door while cooking
? Put a mirror behind the stove so the door is reflected

X Having the stove under a window – this means the chi will fly out too quickly
? Move the stove

Bathroom

The best position for this room is in the east and south-east of the center of your home. Water represents wealth, so the biggest risk to chi in the bathroom is flushing your money down the toilet or sink.

Problems and cures

X The room faces or is directly above the front door – the family’s wealth might be flushed out of the front door
? Use mirrors on the outside of the bathroom door to protect energy

X No window – chi stagnates
? Use lots of green plants to help the flow of chi

X No separate toilet
? Try to screen the toilet from the rest of the bathroom and always keep the toilet seat down

Bedroom

The best position is in the north, north-east or north-west of the center of the home.

Problems and cures

X Bed directly in line with the door – chi flows too rapidly through the door
? Move bed and place a plant near the door to modify the flow of chi

X Mirror at the end of the bed – causes sleepless nights
? Move mirror so that it doesn’t reflect the bed

X Mattress on floor or things stored under bed – chi stagnates under the bed
? Clear the space regularly under your bed – don’t make this a storage area

Feng Shui:

AVAILABILITY – Limited

EVIDENCE – Aparse

ACCEPTANCE – Limited

SELF HELP – Possible