Thematically speaking, Emocto’s authors have been writing a lot recently about work environments, and how the space we occupy influences the work we do. Feng shui is the pseudoscientific art of maximising space’s potential in order to nourish the spirit. Naturally, people’s homes are often the centres of their respective universes and so the working environment goes neglected. Let’s discuss how best to Shui up your life…
Colours
As anyone who completed an Art or English literature GCSE can tell you, colours all have their own unique connotations. Take red, for example, colour of energy and passion that boosts productivity if you have it visible. Try a small pop of the colour but mostly the space should be filled with neutral blues and green so people feel calm and creative. Relaxation and productivity have a strange but unmistakably intrinsic connection.
Materials
While encrusting your monitor with beads and hanging a dream catcher from the fan might be a health hazard, the influence of the elements and the spiritual is unquestionable in feng shui methodology. Wooden chairs are often a good idea if you can afford them as is the minimisation of plastic in any sense. Also, lots of feng shui practitioners in offices keep a couple of crystals on their desk or nearby.
Light
Light is essential for life to exist on earth but in feng shui there are definitely types that are preferred. Natural light is a difficult thing to get right because while you don’t want your office to have the glow of a patient’s mouth illuminated by a dental lamp, it’s also not great to work by candlelight because feng shui eschews bulbs a great deal. Strike a balance that essentially means a lot of window space that lights the room with the sky. In Feng Shui, there seems to be a distrust of all thing artificial.
Plants
We talked a lot about the healing and tranquil effects of undergrowth in the workplace in a previous article and still have our pals from Patch ceaselessly ventilating the air here in the office. Frankly, plants make you feel healthy, as do proximity to most living organisms.
Desk
Clutter is king at a lot of desks around the country but it shouldn’t be so. Make a list of what actually needs to be at your fingertips and anything that is surplus to requirements give the boot. Maybe keep those crystals though.
Mirrors
Mirrors are something you never remember you need until you are without one; it’s just a gentle reminder that you are a real person that exists and not just fingers on a keyboard. The black of your monitor doesn’t count unfortunately because that’s like staring into the heart of darkness. It’s said in feng shui that having a view of both the door and a window in your office is paramount. While this isn’t always possible, a mirror can add not only light but also a second view that wouldn’t otherwise be visible. Handy, very handy.
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