The art of feng shui and why you need to try at home

Want to keep the good vibes flowing? Then you need more feng shui in your life! This ancient practice has been popularized in Western society as a cure all for achieving harmony and balance within home spaces, workplaces and even personal life. Learn how to apply these simple principles to improve overall well-being and create a peaceful oasis.   

What is Feng Shui?

A traditional practice used widely across the globe that originated from ancient China. This practice is based on using energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The words “feng” and shui” literally translate from Chinese to English as “wind” (feng) and “water” (shui), it is the art of arranging tangible things in order to achieve harmony and balance. You can use feng shui in different areas of your life such as your home, workplace and even diet.   

According to Wikipedia, feng shui is one of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics, classified as physiognomy (observation of appearances through formulas and calculations). The feng shui practice discusses architecture in terms of "invisible forces" that bind the universe, earth, and humanity together, known as qi. Historically, feng shui was originally used to orient buildings, most commonly for powerful spiritual structures like tombs, however Western culture has slowly developed a new take on it.

So how does it work?

The idea behind this philosophy is to “unblock” the way for forces to flow freely to create balance and harmony within certain spaces of your life, stemming from the idea that your home is a reflection of what's going on inside. Therefore, a balanced home is a balanced life, and anyone can achieve this by following a few basic principles. 

I wanted to make it easy for you! So I gathered a few simple and important tips from feng shui expert Laura Benko on how to use this practice in your home or work space, that Benko says can have a "profound" impact on your life: 

• Keep your space clear of clutter
• Keep the path to the front door clear
• Give guests a reason to pause
• Balance the five elements
• Remove negative elements
• Maximize natural light

Balance the five elements

1. Wood

2. Fire

3. Earth

4. Metal

5. Water

You can bring these elements into your space by choosing something representative of each one. This can be done using each one of your senses, for example: you can create certain smells, use different colours, shapes, textures and even sounds to help balance all the five elements.

Benko also recommends that you should only focus on the three most important rooms in the house when first starting out:

1. The entryway

2. The kitchen

3. Your bedroom 

Click here to get all the deets from Oprah magazine on how to feng shui your way into a harmonious life! 

4 areas of life you can incorporate feng shui beyond your home 

1. The garden
2. At work
3. Your body
4. Love life

Improve your overall well-being by applying these basic principles of feng shui to your life. By using this practice seasonally you can maintain balance and harmony throughout life. As each season comes and goes, this makes way for a new opportunity to apply these principles in any aspect of your life whether that’s personal, romantic, home or work. So what are you waiting for?       

CHECK OUT THIS BLOG BY KATE DIAZ TO GET SOME MORE INFO ON FENG SHUI: https://swankyden.com/feng-shui-living-room/