How to Bring Harmonious Energy into a Living Space
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You meditate, eat well, exercise conscientiously—and yet something's still not quite… right. Sure, your body is your temple, but home is where you house that body. If clutter and poor design are plaguing the space where you seek sanctuary, your energy flow will be disrupted, and you'll miss out on total well-being.
Feng shui, a nature-based aesthetic system that originated in China thousands of years ago, is one way to increase the flow of that energy, or chi, in the home. Americans have been turning to this design philosophy since Nixon's 1972 trip to China sparked a stateside craze for all things Asian.
Recently, however, the Indian practice of vastu has been making its way into mainstream consciousness thanks to its use in the design of everything from Pepsi's updated logo to scores of new buildings in the bustling super-city of Hyderabad, India. Rooted in the Vedic texts, which were also the basis for yoga and Ayurvedic medicine, this prana-centric practice actually predates feng shui by a few centuries and was the inspiration for the Chinese system. Both methods emphasize the importance of living in harmony with your surroundings, and both prana and chi can be understood as a vital, life-sustaining energy. So what's the difference?
It's all in a name. The literal translation of "feng shui" from Chinese is "wind water," two changeable forces that shape our world. "Vastu" is a Sanskrit word that is less easy to interpret but can be explained as "energy." Some practitioners suggest using vastu when you're planning a building and feng shui when you're dealing with an existing structure, though both can be applied at any point. In general, vastu's guidelines regarding the placement of objects are determined in part by the sun and tend to be more static, while feng shui draws many of its recommendations from the orientation of each particular dwelling.
Both practices are based on an understanding of five basic elements. For vastu, these are earth, fire, water, air, and space; feng shui also looks to earth, fire, and water but adds metal and wood, with the belief that your home should be a balance of all five. The effect of these elements is determined by their compass location, and their placement in the home will affect particular aspects of your life. For example, in vastu, the southeast is dominated by agni, the fire element; placing kitchens, fireplaces, candles, or electrical equipment here aids digestion and life transformations.
At the heart of both philosophies is a clean and uncluttered home without stagnant, underused areas—something that can be achieved by throwing out those piles of newspapers and digging into the depths of your closet to create usable space. Your home should feel like a living organism: Try opening windows to let the air element in. Practicing vastu and feng shui can be as simple as being aware of the direction of the rising sun and as complex as delving into mathematical geomancy. For a few more easy ways to release a positive energetic flow in your home, see the tips below.
We asked Sherri Silverman, author of Vastu: Transcendental Home Design in Harmony With Nature, and Malibu-based feng shui practitioner Bellene Hong to share a few suggestions for bringing harmonious energy into a living space.
1. The northeast is a sacred zone. Placing a water feature here—perhaps a trickling fountain or a beautiful bowl with flowers floating in it—will increase ease in life, abundance, and serenity.
2. Sleep with your head in the south for healing or in the east to increase consciousness. Avoid sleeping with your head in the north—it accelerates the aging process.
3. The north is the area of career and finance. Ideally there should be windows or doors in that direction to let in nourishing energies, but if there aren't, paint the walls a shade of green or place living plants in the area.
4. Take a look at the front door of your house. No matter what direction it faces, this entrance symbolizes your career; a front door in disrepair could mean a sagging career path. Paint it red to bring energy to your work.
5. If you're trying to bring romance into your life, clear out anything in your bedroom that symbolizes singlehood—photos of one figure, for example. Create space on both sides of your bed for matching nightstands or lamps, and bring in a pair of figurines: The luckiest are wooden mandarin ducks.
6. To bring wealth into your life, create an environment that is welcoming to prosperity. This can be as simple as making small fixes around the house, such as replacing an old shower curtain or rebinding the edges of a frayed rug. By treating yourself as if you are prosperous, you become so.