If there’s one place that you should feel your clearest and most at peace, it’s your home. We don’t always have the ability to choose where we live, but we do have the ability to fill our space with positive energy through simple (yet effective) practises and home rituals that most often require little to no expense.
The Japanese practise of Feng Shui ties closely to this concept and involves designing and decorating your home in such a way that allows positive energy to flow, and abundance to be welcomed into your life. At its most fundamental level, Feng Shui is a practise that summons and captures positive energy allowing you to live in equal parts - calm, vibrant and inspired.
We discuss nine steps below that will summon positive energy into your home.
1. Air
Make it a common practise to open your windows/doors at least once a day (ideally more) to allow that flow of energy to occur. If you live in a space that is particularly noisy or with compromised air quality, purchasing a dehumidifier can act as an alternative. However fresh air is always best.
2. Energy Cleansing
Further to the above, you can master the energy in your home through various home ritual practises and a level of mindfulness.
Having clean energy goes behind having clean air. Negative energy is most commonly brought into the home through people, however can even be carried into your home through objects that have been in contact with negative energy. Being mindful of your energy involves being mindful of your moods, emotions, reactions and who you choose to spend your time with. Being human means we can’t escape the inevitability of a flux of positive and negative energy throughout our lives so it’s important we manage the latter with energy cleansing rituals.
This can be done through saging or palo santo practises which involves lighting the bale or stick and cleansing the room with its smoke. It’s important in these practises to always make sure a door or window is open for negative energy to escape to, and don’t forget the top corners of your ceilings as this is where energy can often get trapped.
Being selective with the people you invite into your homes is also an important step in preserving the healthy energy of your home (see step 7).
3. Light
Scientifically proven to increase moods through a production of Vitamin D, sunlight is one of the quickest ways to enhance energy levels and positive emotions. Spending time in the sun whether outdoors or filtered through your home, can also reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Creating a morning practise of spending at least 10 minutes in the sun, also regulates our circadian rhythm (basically our bodies way of recognising it’s daytime) therefore fuelling us with more energy and clarity for the day ahead.
Even if your home doesn’t have a great deal of sunlight filtering through, you can still follow some small practises to increase what you do have access to. This includes removing obstructions from windows and glass doors, opening blinds and using mirrors to reflect the sunlight into darker corners of your home.
Of an evening, use warm dim lighting like lamps, or dimmed pendant lights (as well as candles) to assist your circadian rhythm in getting you ready for sleep.
4. Natural elements
The benefits of nature in your living space deserves its own journal article (we’re working on it!) simply because the list is so comprehensive.
Spending time in nature, or inviting nature into your living space can substantially improve your physical and mental wellbeing including improved mood, reduced stress, mental clarity, elevated motivation levels, boosted immunity, and increased productivity.
Do this by opting for materials and textures reflective of Mother Earth such as recycled wood, stone, cane, rope, slate, linen, rattan and cane to name a few, and avoid unnatural materials like glass, metal and plastic. Our favourites are these Nightfall Stone Candles, Molten Lava Trays, Petrified Wood dishes and our recycled MOKU Grazing Boards.
Additionally, stick to neutral tones or ones you would commonly find reflected in natural environments. Think neutral beige, white, and black, as well as subdued colours like sage, peach, tan, ochre, rust and sand. Check out the stone coloured PUGLIA Linen tablecloths here.
Our entire homeware and decor collection is bred from these organic materials and reflective of a neutral colour palette - shop here.
5. Curves
If you have an eye for interior trends, you’ve likely noticed that curved interiors are having a bit of a moment. But it’s not only their visual aesthetic that’s the appeal; curved lines can also contribute to better energy flow within your living space simply because it’s reflective of patterns found in nature.
When we walk into a room made up of nothing but straight lines, squares and boxes, our brains can quickly identify that the structure of the room is unnatural and therefore sends messages to our subconscious that resists the environment, causing stagnation, imbalance and even stress.
If you have the resources and means to alter the structure of your room by creating archways or recessed curved shelves, then wonderful! But if you’re like me and just want to gently manipulate the design to create better flow, then consider things like round cushions, curved couches, round dining tables or artwork that incorporates curious and fluid patterns.
6. Self care
The fastest way to improve the energy in your home, is to take responsibility for the energy that you’re personally harbouring and transmitting. It’s all well and good to manipulate your environment and be selective of the company you keep, but living in a beautifully balanced home is not enough if you don’t prioritise and nurture the energy that’s coming from within you.
It’s the one thing we are guaranteed to be in complete control of, and the best part is that you can do it for free! Establish rituals and routines in your daily life that allow you to purge negative energy, express gratitude, and take proper self care so that your emotional wellbeing can thrive, as well as positively impact the energy of others around you.
7. Choose your company
Moreover from the above, we are responsible for the energy that we carry and project, but we cannot control the energy of others. Be selective of the energy that you invite into your home, because it can remain long after that person has left the room.
If it’s not an option to avoid certain energy suckers from entering your home, then follow their visit with a deep energy cleanse using sage or palo santo.
8. Clean
You’ve likely heard the saying ‘a cluttered home, a cluttered mind’. There is a proven link between cluttered rooms, and a state of stress and reduced mental clarity/focus, which in turn disrupts the positive flow of energy in your home.
Putting your focus into appreciating what you do have, as opposed to accumulating more possessions will keep your home in better balance and reduce the negative effects of clutter.
Additionally, if your home is unclean, this can contribute to feelings or anxiety, depression and stress. Adopt a regular cleaning practise in your home to improve energy flow and mental wellbeing. I like to use the term ‘don’t put it down, put it away’. It takes less than 10 seconds to put something away rather than placing it on a bench and eventually accumulating a far bigger cleaning job.
9. Scent
Create a sanctuary in your home through the use of aromatherapy and home fragrance. Our favourite way to do this is by following a cleaning routine with the lighting of a candle or incense stick.
Our favourites at the moment are the candle range from Lumira which has various scents inspired by difference corners of the globe, such as Sicilian Citrus, Terra Australis and Cypres de Provence. Not only does the flicker of the flame create a gentle ambience in your home, but the smell quickly infuses into the room to promote feelings of relaxation and serenity.
For a quick refresh, use the Lumira Room Sprays which can be spritzed into the air or sprayed onto your couch or bed linen.
Other ways to improve your home scent is through fresh flowers or foliage, incense or diffusers. Make sure to also regularly take your dirty rubbish out, and ensure dirty dishes quickly get cleaned and put away so they don’t inhibit your energy flow through unpleasant smells.
Shop our entire fragrance collection here.
For our full range of nature inspired homewares, shop here.
