Boost Your Chi by Eating Greens

By Jessica Hoelzel

In my last post I talked about Winter being a time of Yin energy. Things are slower paced. But if you’re feeling a little too sluggish, you want to boost your chi with some Yang energy. Did you know that besides making changes to your environment you can lift your chi by eating certain foods?

Have some greens today with each meal. Spinach, mixed greens, swiss chard, kale…they soak up the Yang energy of the sun. And when you eat them, your body gets a lift.

For a yummy meal idea, visit my friend, Diet & Lifestyle Consultant Mary Langfield's site.

Feeling too Yin? Balance it with Yang

By Jessica Hoelzel

During the winter months, we are in seasonal time of more Yin energy than Yang. Yin is darkness, going within, and inaction. It’s opposite, Yang is light, outward expression, and action. It’s good to honor this time, to embrace the slow pace and reflective nature of this season, but if you are feeling a little too isolated or immobile, add some Yang to your environment. Feng shui is all about balance. Being too heavily weighted on one end of the spectrum is not ideal.

Ideas for adding a bit of Yang energy:

• A lamp or candles for a warm glow
• Shades open wide to let in sunlight
• Lively music...maybe some dancing?
• A blooming plant

Feng Shui at Work: The Dangers of Too Much Yang Energy

By Jessica Hoelzel

In my earlier posts, I’ve been writing about balance, and how the basic feng shui guiding principle “use nature as your model” can help you achieve it. The Yin/Yang symbol represents balance, according to the I Ching (an ancient Chinese text used for divination and explaining the order of the universe).

The aim of the I Ching practice is to bring about balance in which celestial consciousness guides earthly awareness to follow the rhythm of nature.

- Roger Green

Its design symbolizes how chi (life force energy) fluctuates between Yin and Yang, which are opposites. When balanced, there are equal amounts of both Yin and Yang energy. Things get challenging if there’s too much of one or the other. (Off-balance.)

In the workplace, balance is often difficult to come by – for many reasons. One reason being that there is often too much Yang energy. Yang energy is masculine, aggressive, willful and active. Too much Yang can overpower. Yin energy is the opposite: feminine, passive, flexible and still. Too much Yin can underpower, but adding some Yin can balance out the occasions of too much Yang.

Too much Yang, according to Kirsten M. Lagatree,
in Feng Shui at Work, can:

Impede decision-making
Cause lost opportunities
Cause bad financial outcomes
Hurt morale
Encourage high turnover

How do you assess what’s going on and fix it?

Common Workplace Issues
Too much Yang................Add some Yin

Florescent lights..................Turn some off, use desk lamps/task lighting

Smelly................................Use diffusers* or fans, empty and clean trash regularly

Noisy.................................Designate quiet areas, wear headphones

Hectic................................Put systems in place to create order, create opportunities for breaks

Too warm..........................Add window shades, use a fan, fix heating

Crowded...........................Reorganize/eliminate furniture, encourage off-site work

Male-dominated.................Bring in art/accessories with feminine feel, hire more women

Cluttered............................Purge, organize, streamline things

I'd love to hear from you. What's going on in your workplace? Do you think there's a solution? Click below to leave a comment.

*Curious about diffusers? Check out these options from Young Living. The Travel Diffuser would work perfectly in an office or cube. Contact me by email for more information.