Detox your pad

By Serene Conneeley and Felicity Percival

Fact: the energy of your home affects your health and happiness. The good news: feng shui can enhance your well-being by increasing the flow of harmonious chi – or energy- through your living space, and releasing the negative energy that can drain your vitality. Here, a few tricks can help create a stress-free home…

Have a clean out
Wardrobe overflowing with old clothes you never wear? “Clutter equals congestion; if your home is congested, it has very low chi, which makes your life stagnant,” says feng shui teacher Terah Kathryn Collins.

Luckily, de-cluttering is an easy way to make your home stress free and max your living space.

• Devote a whole weekend to de-cluttering, completely clearing the room before you start.
• Put a few drops of citrus essential oil in a spray bottle, and water and spray the room. This clears any dark, stagnant energy.
• As you put items back, throw out what you don’t use (hint: give any clothes you haven’t worn in past two years to charity). Before you put your clothes back in the wardrobe, sort them by colour, season or clothing type.

Clear your boudoir
Your bedroom should be peaceful, but many people cram in a home office, storage boxes and other objects that disrupt the flow of calming energy.

• If you must have a computer, screen it out of sight of the bed.
• It’s best to move the TV altogether, but if you can’t, put it in a cabinet or drape it with fabric when it’s not in use.
• The electromagnetic radiation from TVs, microwaves, stereos and computers can sap your energy and affect sleep patterns, so place a clear quartz crystal or plant near appliances to absorb the energy waves. Unplug all appliances when you’re not using them.

Work with shapes
Furniture that’s all at one height allows your eye to move calmly around the space. And where the eye goes, energy flows

• Choose pieces that have soft curves rather that sharp angles. Angles and corners create “cutting chi”, an arrow- like energy that can cause irritation and drain vitality.
• Drape a large tablecloth over a square table to soften the corners.
• Plants not only brighten an otherwise dull room, they add oxygen and subtract toxins.

Play with light
Cast consistent light around a room; patches of light and dark are hard on our eyes. Drab furniture also absorbs light.

• Several lights, as opposed to one hanging from the centre of the ceiling, opens up smaller spaces and lightens dark corners.
• The gentle light of candles also warms a room (and smoothes a bad mood). “Candles enhance chi by adding light, warmth and colour to the room,” says Collins.

Use colour
Colour has a huge impact on mood and energy levels. “It works with your subconscious more than any other medium and is an extremely powerful way to change your life,” says feng shui expert Chris Brazel.

• Each hue has its own unique vibration affecting the energy of your home. Greys, browns and pale blue are calming, friendly colours; rich shades make a dramatic, passionate statement and distracts for a smaller room. White is peaceful; green represents well-being.
• If you can’t paint your pad, liven up your living area by adding bright shades of yellow or oranges in curtains, couch, cushions, rugs or a wall print.