- What is feng shui
- The 3 principles to understand feng shui
- How to decorate the house according to feng shui
Feng shui is a Taoist philosophy of Chinese origin, which teaches us how to distribute spaces harmoniously so that energy flows in them and, therefore, the spaces in which we live positively influence us.
In this article we tell you what it is, what its principles are and how to decorate your home according to feng shui. Learn all about feng shui and fill your home with harmony.
What is feng shui
The spaces we inhabit on a daily basis greatly influence our mood, our state of mind and the attitude we put towards our day to day and to the situations that arise.It happens that we get used to them so quickly that we don't even realize if we are living in chaos or if our house, for example, is filling us with positive energy. For this there is feng shui.
Feng shui is another of the ancient oriental philosophies that have changed our lives in a positive way. Feng shui originates from the Chinese Tao and is a philosophy that teaches us to occupy spaces consciously, so that everything in it is in harmony , the energy flows through them and, as a consequence, the spaces also influence us in a positive way.
The 3 principles to understand feng shui
The word feng shui literally means "wind and water" and gathers in them the keys of feng shui, which are the observation of the elements of nature in terms of their shapes, their orientation and their strength to conserve Qi (chi), which is what vital energy is called.
Keeping Qi in balance and harmony is the main objective of feng shui, so the arrangement of objects in our spaces is a way of channeling Qi (chi) so that it flows through them, just as it does with rivers.
one. The Qi or chi
In the words of master Guo Pu in the book "Zangshu" (one of the oldest on feng shui), the art of conserving vital energy and channeling it is feng shui: "The Qi it travels and disperses with the wind but is retained in the presence of water.”
Now, we already know that Qi (chi) is the vital energy that maintains the universe, but there is another key to feng shui that we must learn, and that is that there is a "good" and a "bad" Qi.
Good Qi is called Sheng Qi and it is what we find in those spaces that are in harmony and vital energy flows through them, so they have good feng shui.On the contrary, Sha Qi or “bad” is that which we find in unfavorable places for vital energy to flow, so its influence is negative.
2. The yin yang
Another feng shui principle is yin yang as two totally opposite but complementary energies. You have probably seen the yin yang symbol, which is a circle that is divided in half by a wavy line, leaving a black or dark part, the Yin, and a white or light part, the Yang.
When this wavy line increases or decreases, the amount of Yin or Yang also increases or decreases, demonstrating the perfect balance that is always between the two. This symbol is the best way to explain what yin yang is.
According to feng shui, this interaction and complementarity of yin and yang must also be present in our spaces, to achieve balance and harmony that allows the Qi or vital energy flows through our home.
3. The elements of nature
The third principle of feng shui is the use of the elements of nature as a means to channel Qi and balance yin and yang. These elements are earth, fire, water, metal and wood, as well as wind, which is where Qi flows and moves.
How to decorate the house according to feng shui
You can begin to incorporate the philosophy of feng shui when it comes to consciously thinking about your spaces and organizing them according to its principles, so that your home positively influence you; because in the end our house is the temple where we rest, eat, wash ourselves and, therefore, where we recharge all our energies.
Here we will tell you how to decorate the house according to feng shui, so that you can take better advantage of the energies and have a house in harmony.
one. The hall: the entrance of the house
According to feng shui, the hall is the most important room in the house of all, because it is the entrance to our house and Qi or vital energy enters there. It is true that some of us have flats of a few meters, but the wider your hall can be, much better, because energy will be able to spread and flow better through your home
You must ensure that this area has enough elements and that it is not overloaded with things, because the more objects the Qi is at its entrance, the more likely it is to stagnate between them and cannot flow through your entire home.
2. No mirrors in front of the door
The principle of gold feng shui is that there should be no mirrors in front of the doors, especially in the hall, as when entering Qi or vital energy bounces off the mirror and immediately leaves your house.
But this does not mean that you cannot have mirrors. In fact, if your apartment is very small, they can be very good for expanding, but you must know how to locate them. You can put the mirrors on the side walls so that it is not facing the door.
3. The light
The more natural light enters your home, the better, because light is synonymous with energy. Try to avoid closed and very dark places, and keep the blinds and curtains open as much as possible.
If there are areas of the floor that are inevitably very dark, then help yourself with warm artificial light and candles, because according to feng shui, candles are the element of fireand therefore are excellent for harmonizing energy.
4. Order and cleanliness
Another of the principles of feng shui is that of empty, order and clean According to this philosophy, it is essential that we empty everything we have in our home and throw away everything we accumulate, find appropriate places for things and keep clean so that Qi flows better.
5. Flowing geometries
When choosing the furniture that we are going to include in our living room, try to balance their geometries. That is, if you have a rectangular sofa, combine it with a round table, because circular, oval or continuous geometries and without angles, allow energy to flow much better than angles and lines. According to feng shui, a round dining room, for example, improves and helps communication flow between people.
6. Feng shui in the bedroom
Feng shui principles advise that you place the bed against the wall farthest from the door and that the headboard is not leaning under a window. He also advises us that if we have small rooms with storage problems, we should not fill the head of the bed with shelves, but preferably look for other options, for example on the side walls.
In addition, feng shui invites us to leave all kinds of electronic devices out of the room, as they do not allow us to rest well. We must also choose neutral and not very stimulating colors As with any other room, we must keep it in order and not cluttered with elements.
7. The halls
If your house has corridors, feng shui recommends that you put few items in them. Of course you can hang pictures and pictures on the walls, but don't fill it with large items that obstruct the flow of Qi through them.
8. Feng shui in the kitchen
Feng shui has several specifications about how our kitchen should be, but the truth is that if you are not building your house from scratch, you have to work with what is there. But it is important that you know that from feng shui, the kitchen is the heart of the house, because there is the fire and there are the food, representing our nutrition and survival.Your kitchen should be a place that invites you to share, that brings together the people in your home and your visitors.
Generally speaking, feng shui recommends that you don't place cooking fires as the centerpiece of the kitchen, because they can steal energy . Like the kitchen in general, it should not be visible from the front door and, if possible, the kitchen and dining room should be in separate rooms.
Now, in addition to the location of the essential furniture, the kitchen is governed by the fire element and you must complete it with the other elements, so look for accessories and utensils made of wood, metal and earth. Also, according to feng shui you should place fire with fire and water with water So, try to leave ovens, microwaves, and stoves grouped in one place in the house, and dishwasher and washing machine in another. If you can't, then put divider pieces of wood between them.
9. Feng shui in the bathroom
The bathroom, due to the amount of water and drains it has, is a place of energy loss according to feng shui. The truth is that many of the apartments in the West are not built according to feng shui and it is almost impossible to change them. But we can balance the energy in our bathrooms so we don't waste all our energy there.
Start by decorating your bathroom with accessories made of wood and use only earth tones, instead of blues or grays that are so common. Feng shui also indicates that we should always keep the bathroom door and the toilet seat closed, so that energy does not get mixed up or lost there.