Feng Shui, Light & Air

Roll-up shades like these give you privacy but let you see the blue sky.

There’s nothing that can substitute for natural light and fresh air.

Our breath is a constant expression of yin (out-breath) and yang (in-breath). Wear a mask when you need to, and when you don’t need to wear a mask, breathe fresh air and lots of it. Open the windows of your home if you can. This NPR interview with journalist James Nestor, author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art changed how I breathe and clarified my understanding of why the out-breath is yin and the in-breath is yang. The interview also describes the fastest, easiest, and cheapest way to end snoring that I’ve ever heard of.

Windows are your best way of getting natural light into your home. If privacy is an issue, use roll-up shades or blinds which allow privacy and blue sky at the same time. When you need artificial light, use incandescent or halogen bulbs for the best quality of light. I can’t recommend fluorescent or LED bulbs at all (except for emergency lighting such as flashlights). If you want to save money, turn out the light when you leave a room and only use lights that you need at the time. Don’t compromise on the quality of light in your home. I went light bulb shopping recently and was pleasantly surprised at how halogen bulbs have changed. I’ve always thought of halogen bulbs as having the bi-pin which plugs in, but the newer halogen bulbs screw into regular light sockets and are the shape of standard A-bulbs.