Having endured the pandemic for over half a year, like most of you reading this, I’ve tried to keep myself and my family happy and safe with the aid of Feng Shui. There is definitely no substitute to being cautious and mindful about wearing masks, washing hands and keeping a safe distance amidst other things, but before we leap into how we can Feng Shui our spaces to keep our minds and bodies healthy, lets dive into the most eminent aspect of Covid- “Fear!”

“Fear” creates anxiety, anxiety creates panic and panic leads to a compromised immune system. Placebo is a real thing; so is nocebo. Negative thinking can impact our immune system greatly. Ever experienced a health care provider talking about potential side effects of a medication and feeling them right after the first dose? Or a doctor telling a cancer patient he only has 3 months to live and boom, he dies exactly then. Our mind plays games and does exactly what we make it believe. Fear, thus, plays a pivotal role not just during Covid but also any sickness. Living fearless does not mean living carelessly without any precautions. There is a difference. Fear stops us from living our best life and living our full potential.  I seldom feel intense fear anymore but I am cautious in unfamiliar situations. Just because I live a life that isn’t fear based does not mean that I don’t use caution when crossing the street or driving down an unfamiliar road for example.

Feng Shui wise, I have these easy 6 tips to incorporate into you home and life to keep the virus off:-

1. Declutter your home and space: Too much stuff in our homes not only makes it harder to clean but the excess also clogs our minds. Having only a few things that we use often, keeping our closets and drawers decluttered, spacing our furniture out, all help keep our minds free. The more we see around us, the more we have to process. Thus our minds and bodies respond really well to a clean, decluttered space thus keeping our immune system healthy.
2. Fresh Air: Fresh , good quality air is often ignored and is a high health priority. Let your doors and windows open and invite some fresh air into your space. Now that most people are working from home and spending more times indoors, its even more important to let fresh in and improve the Chi of your home.
3. Sufficient Natural Light: Light is an important nutrition for our homes. Feng Shui is all about energy and light is the strongest manifestation of energy. The vibe of our homes is greatly determined by how much light we let into our homes. Sun is a natural disinfectant and natural light is also great for ailments like Depression or Parkinson.
4. The health Trinity: There is a powerful energy connection between three feng shui areas in your home that are related to your well-being: your bedroom, your bathroom, and your kitchen. This feng shui trinity needs to be treated right because your health is connected greatly to it. Keeping these three areas of your home clean, airy and honoring the space with appropriate bagua colors will greatly help keeping you safe and healthy. Your bedroom should be a pleasant place to open your eyes and start the day. Your bathroom should be clean, organized and uncluttered. Your kitchen should be bright and cheerful with good light and a comfortable energy.
5. Clove oil: Clove oil is anti -viral. Keeping some cloves in your pockets or diffusing some oil in your home can be very helpful. You may also use a drop of clove oil while taking steam, to clear your lungs.
6. Potted Plants: Plants have innate positive chi, clear the air of allergens, and really do wonders for us. Aloe promotes healing, while orchids bring forth calmness and clarity. Some plants like snake plants naturally cancel many of the allergens and volatile organic compounds that are present in cleaning products. How amazing is that? Sage is a purifying plant that easily grows outdoors in different kinds of climates. It grows and grows, and will eventually provide you with enough leaves to make your own sage smudge stick. Jade is known to attract wealth, so keep as many as you can in your home.

Our homes are a reflection of ourselves. Consider the things you bring into your home, how you arrange them, and how you maintain or decorate them. In Feng Shui, it is believed that everything, even inanimate objects, has energy (or chi.) Arranging your home according to its principles helps balance those energies and ensure it flows freely throughout your home. Balancing elements like Fire, Earth, Water, Metal and Wood can have a calming effect in your space.

I hope this phase of our lives will be over soon and we will be able to resume to status quo. However, these times are teaching us more about ourselves and our environment. So much that we took for granted, our family time, the fact that we could go to a movie hall or a dinner fearlessly, or even the way we treated Mother Earth. New normal is in order and the sooner we learn to be more compassionate and loving towards each other and ourselves, the easier we will adjust to the newer times. Be thankful for what you have today. Its time to go within and introspect. Be you. Be free.

Kanika Babal