Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of aligning one's energy with one's environment through the careful arrangement of design features. Many people find that its principles do indeed result in a sense of harmony and balance that seems to feed the soul. And though Feng Shui is often used within the home, experts say that the backyard—with its array of natural elements—is also an ideal place to put these principles into action. Read on to learn six ways you can Feng Shui your backyard for good luck.
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6 Ways to Feng Shui Your Backyard
1. Remove dead brush and clutter.
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Before deciding which Feng Shui features to include in your backyard, you'll first want to clear out any clutter to begin with a blank slate.
"Starting with a backyard that is uncluttered and clean is crucial. Remove any trash, dead plants, or extra debris to make an area clear and open," says Aaditya Bhatta, a horticulturist, landscaper, and the editor and founder of Plantscraze. He notes that this aids in promoting the positive energy flow or "qi" throughout the space.
Victor Cheung, founder of Feng Shui Nexus, agrees that decluttering is an important first step. "It negates the harmful energies, or things that bring bad Feng Shui. Then, you can work on improvements that bring good luck," he says.
2. Assess the trees in your yard.
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Healthy, thriving trees can enhance the energy in your backyard, but Cheung points out that having too many trees—especially tall, overgrown, or unhealthy trees—can have the opposite effect.
He says it's important from both a safety and Feng Shui perspective to remove any trees that could present a hazard. This may include trees that are too close to the home, leaning toward the home, or those with large, hanging limbs.
"A common problem that I often see is a large, overgrown tree in the backyard, which can bring too much yin energy because it blocks both sunshine and sometimes air flow (depending on what type of tree)," Cheung tells Best Life. "A backyard like this will feel cold, gloomy, and low energy. Worse, if the tree roots grow into the home's infrastructure, the costs of repair will be a nasty surprise."
"To cure this, you can remove the tree or simply trim it so more sunshine can go through," he suggests.
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3. Balance the five natural elements.
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Another important Feng Shui principle is to incorporate each of the five natural elements, also known as the five agents or five phases. These are fire, earth, metal, wood, and water.
Stones and ceramic planters are considered earth elements while plants and trees are wood elements; both are found abundantly in most backyards. However, you'll need to bring in the other features more intentionally to create a sense of balance.
That's why Cheung suggests adding a water feature such as a fountain in the northern corner of your yard, which he says will give your backyard a more lively energy and better elemental balance.
"The size of the water feature should be proportionate to your backyard and should only take up at most 30 percent of your backyard. It is very important the water is 'alive,' or moving, and clean," he explains.
Additionally, you can incorporate metal through sculpture, wind chimes, or planters. To bring in fire, the final element, add a fire pit as the focal point for your seating area or line your walkway with lanterns.
4. Create welcoming pathways.
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Another way to bring good luck and better energy to your backyard is to create welcoming pathways through it.
Bhatta says you should strive to create a feeling of natural flow across the garden by using meandering shapes. Lining the pathways with a rock retaining wall will help direct the flow of energy down the pathway.
"Avoid using straight lines and acute angles because they can obstruct the passage of energy," the landscaper says. "Curved routes encourage peace and good fortune by slowing down and gently guiding the energy."
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5. Aim for variety and balance.
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According to Bhatta, variety and balance are the keys to a harmonious and auspicious backyard space. He says that by using plants of various shapes, sizes, and colors, you should be able to achieve a good equilibrium.
"Pay attention to the distribution and general symmetry of the elements," Bhatta suggests. "By combining both soft and robust traits, you may harmonize the yin and yang energy. For relaxation and contemplation, you might mix open locations (yang) and quiet areas (yin)."
6. Use a Bagua map.
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In the principles of Feng Shui, a Bagua is a tool used to better understand the energy of one's environment.
"The Bagua is an eight-area energy map used in Feng Shui that represents several facets of life in a given space," explains Bhatta.
Often represented as a hexagon, the various energy areas include health, money, fame, love, creativity, travel, career, and spiritual growth. Each of these is also associated with one of the five natural elements, which can help inform where you place each elemental feature in your backyard.
"The Bagua can be aligned with your backyard to assist in energizing particular areas for various goals," Bhatta tells Best Life. "For instance, adding a seating space to the 'fame' area in the south can improve luck with reputation and recognition."
Align the Bagua with your landscaping plans for optimal luck in the areas that matter to you most.
