Feng Shui stress away
Find your chi to ease your mind before finals
Kari Williams
Issue date: 12/3/09 Section: A&E
Whether it is money troubles, self-image, relationships or making sure you pass that class, creating a new aura in the dorms can change it all. Katherine Olaksen's "Dorm Room Feng Shui" gives tips on how to let the stress melt away like snowflakes during the St. Louis winter.
Chi-time creates me-time
According to Merriam-Webster.com, chi is a vital energy that Chinese believe must be in harmony for people to lead happy lives. You must be calm and content. To create a calming atmosphere, you must first take care of yourself physically. Getting enough sleep and eating the right foods cover part of this. Meditation, laughter (hello, Comedy Central!) and spending time with friends are a must. Avoiding late-night coffee runs, skipping meals and holing up in the dorms leads to the death of chi, or an unhappy aura. Don't forget to leave the cell for exercise, too. According to Olaksen, it is a good idea to "jump into a pool, play a little tennis, go for a bike ride, run [or] walk."
The square beyond compare
The first step to giving the residence hall room new life is to figure out what needs to be rearranged. Using the Bagua, a diagram that splits your room into eight aspects, which all surround the 'center,' the residence hall can go from cluttered mess to soothing atmosphere in a few steps. The Bagua diagram lines the main entry door at the bottom of the grid, causing the entryway to fall into the "knowledge, career or helpful people" boxes, according to ellenwhitehurst.com. Whitehurst has a bachelor's degree in transpersonal psychology and owns a private consulting practice with an emphasis on feng shui, flower essence therapy and phyto-aromotology.
The aspects: career, relationships, family, prosperity, helpful people and travel, creativity and children, knowledge and fame. Each category lies in one square, with no overlap. Dividing the room allows each space which represents an aspect of life to be arranged for an optimum level of chi.
Chi-time creates me-time
According to Merriam-Webster.com, chi is a vital energy that Chinese believe must be in harmony for people to lead happy lives. You must be calm and content. To create a calming atmosphere, you must first take care of yourself physically. Getting enough sleep and eating the right foods cover part of this. Meditation, laughter (hello, Comedy Central!) and spending time with friends are a must. Avoiding late-night coffee runs, skipping meals and holing up in the dorms leads to the death of chi, or an unhappy aura. Don't forget to leave the cell for exercise, too. According to Olaksen, it is a good idea to "jump into a pool, play a little tennis, go for a bike ride, run [or] walk."
The square beyond compare
The first step to giving the residence hall room new life is to figure out what needs to be rearranged. Using the Bagua, a diagram that splits your room into eight aspects, which all surround the 'center,' the residence hall can go from cluttered mess to soothing atmosphere in a few steps. The Bagua diagram lines the main entry door at the bottom of the grid, causing the entryway to fall into the "knowledge, career or helpful people" boxes, according to ellenwhitehurst.com. Whitehurst has a bachelor's degree in transpersonal psychology and owns a private consulting practice with an emphasis on feng shui, flower essence therapy and phyto-aromotology.
The aspects: career, relationships, family, prosperity, helpful people and travel, creativity and children, knowledge and fame. Each category lies in one square, with no overlap. Dividing the room allows each space which represents an aspect of life to be arranged for an optimum level of chi.
Be the first to comment on this story