María Fernanda Olaya is the proud owner of Coerenti and one of QC Design School’s new Student Ambassadors. A graduate of QC’s Feng Shui Design Course and a student of the Professional Organizing program, María’s goal is to help clients rediscover their essence and reflect it in their living spaces in a holistic and comprehensive way.
Depending on which country you live in, winter is a season that evokes an end of a natural cycle. It represents a period of calm, shelter, and meditation. Some people find this moment perfect for reflecting – but for many others, winter marks the arrival of hard times. It’s very common for this change in season to cause feelings of sadness, depression, and loneliness.
Luckily, I’ve got good news for you! The art of Feng Shui can help us improve the way we feel. It’s proven to improve our general well-being, especially at this time of the year.
So, let’s look at 5 tips for the upcoming winter season that will help you boost your energy and maintain a positive headspace!
Feng Shui for Winter: 5 Tips for Living Your Best Life
1. Clean all of the reflected surfaces in your home.
According to Feng Shui, winter is ruled by the water element. But what does this mean, and how can you apply this principle?
It’s simple! The first thing you should know is that every reflected element within your home, such as televisions and mirrors, represent the water element. So, all you need to do is regularly clean all of these surfaces. Pretty easy, right?
According to the Feng Shui Bagua Map, water is associated with your professional career. It helps us find our vocation in life and marks the beginning of a new path. Therefore, if you’re planning to achieve your professional goals in 2021, or even pursue a new vocation, pay attention to this tip.
You will begin a new season with a clearer view!
2. Introduce flowers and plants.
The winter season has a strong Yin energy. This means cold, dark, rest, and fear. During a time when seasonal depression is more common, an abundance of Yin energy can quickly wreak havoc on our mental health.
So, make a quick tour of your home. Identify if there’s a specific room or corner where you feel a colder sensation or vibe. Look for colors and shapes. Is there excessive use of blue, gray, or black? Do you have a lot of sharp corners and straight angles?
Introducing certain flowers and/or plant life into your home can help you contra balance this Yin energy. Bring in fire elements (which are associated with joy). Choose natural flowers with colored leaves, such as poinsettias or cyclamen. It also helps that red leaves will be perfect for the Christmas season!
You can also introduce wood (associated with optimism) through plants as well. Green, vivid elements harmonize the flow of positive Ch’i, and they will surely make you feel more cheerful!
3. Refresh the air with citrus.
During this unusual year, we have had to stay at home longer than we usually do. Now that winter is fast approaching, the colder, drearier weather won’t help our mental well-being much. However, we can try our best to make our home cozier than in other seasons.
Feng Shui suggests that opening windows is an excellent way to renew our space’s Ch’i flow, by ridding our spaces of negative energy. But in the winter, we don’t open the windows for extended periods of time, thanks to the chilly temperatures. This can cause our homes’ energy to become stagnant. Before we know it, bad energy festers, with nowhere to go.
A simple tip to lift this unwanted energy is to use essential oils. Citrus fruits – such as lemon, orange, and grapefruit – are ideal for this purpose. By adding citrus to your environment, you will refresh your home and make it snugger.
4. Move your furniture.
We usually think that a big transformation will change the entire house. Of course, sometimes it’s required. But in most cases, change is right at our fingertips.
You don’t need to put everything upside-down or renovate all of your furniture in order to make a significant difference in your home. What you actually need to make are small changes. Move some jars around; change some of your artworks’ positions. Last but not least, never overlook the value of dusting and cleaning on a regular basis. These actions will free space for better things to come!
If you’re not trained as a Feng Shui expert, consider requesting a consultancy from someone who is. Or better yet, take a course and become a certified pro in as little as 3-6 months!
Once you know how to interpret the Bagua Map, you can relocate objects according to its recommendations, improve the Ch’i flow in your home, and even focus positive energy into a specific, personal area of your life!
5. Tidy out and leave space for a fresh start.
Although it seems obvious and repetitive, it’s a fact that decluttering your living space will make your mind feel clearer. Now that you’re spending longer periods of time at home, now is the perfect opportunity to declutter each room.
Make sure you don’t have anything that brings negative memories. Go through your closet and see if there are clothes you don’t wear anymore. If there are, give them away to charity. By doing this, you can also bring joy to someone else in need during this Christmas season!
In Feng Shui, accumulation is a synonym for stagnant energy. Freeing up space allows Ch’i to flow better, depending on the zone of the Bagua Map. Once you follow this step, you will have more space for a fresh start, and you will let Ch’i flow easily.
Why I Recommend QC’s Feng Shui Course
As a QC Design School Student Ambassador, I would like to share my vision with you. The philosophy of Feng Shui has complex concepts – however, it’s very organic, just like nature and the seasons. You’re in constant change, and so is the Ch’i.
QC’s Feng Shui Design Course raised my capacity to understand my environment, adapt, and create balanced homes for my clients. The course’s methodology is practical, effective, and time-flexible. Especially in the midst of a global pandemic, it’s the perfect fit for our “new normal” reality.
Despite this year’s craziness, I’ve had the opportunity to work on projects in both France and Colombia. This is when I also realized just how much we as designers need to consider when it comes to a project, depending on its location. Each project has its own particularities and requirements.
QC’s Feng Shui Design Course equipped me to have a broader panorama. Thanks to my training, I am now better prepared for the global context we’ll continue to live in for the foreseeable future… and you can be, too!
