Consider for a moment how your home or workplace supports you. How do you feel in different areas, at different times of the day? Are there spaces and aspects that activate and rejuvenate? Calm and restore? Are there spaces and aspects that are draining, or you feel may negatively affect your health? Architecture and urban and interior design physically shape our surroundings and influence behavior, lifestyle, and health. We are constantly experiencing and reacting to the effects of our environment. While a seemingly innocuous detail (or odor) may not have a noticeable impact if briefly experienced a few times, the cumulative effect over time can be detrimental. In contrast, a feature that benefits health can brighten your mood momentarily or provide deeper levels of long-term support. Wellness Design/ Wellness Architecture considers health impacts the built environment (buildings, landscape, public spaces) can have on people. Features that support the well-being of … [Read more...]
The Elements : Archetypes for Insight and Balance
The Elements have been used as prescriptive and healing tools for thousands of years in Taoist and Vedic Traditions, and were the foundation of the Platonic understanding of the Universe. Using the Elements as archetypes, we can apply this wisdom to our selves, relationships and spaces to better understand the world and how we move within it. TAOIST [Chinese Medicine, Feng Shui] : Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water PLATONIC/ VEDIC [Ayurveda, Wastu] : Air, Water, Earth, Fire, Ether/ Space We are trained in both but here, focus on the Taoist system due to its connection with Feng Shui and building materials/ features. This system is called 'Wu Xing,' or 'Five Phase Theory' and understands the elements as part of a larger phase, or cycle. Each one has a relationship with every other, rather than being viewed as a static material. More on the cycles later, but follow the diagram clockwise to understand the Creative [or Nourishing] Cycle. Is there a point where one element ends and … [Read more...]
Ayurvedic Kitchari (inspired) Cleanse
Every shift in season is an opportunity (sometimes a challenge...) to embrace a new phase in life. As changes in weather prompt us to switch up our wardrobes and seasonal foods encourage us to modify our diet, I like to kick off each season with a 1-2 week cleanse based off the Ayurvedic Kitchari diet. This cleanse is typically appropriate for almost everyone*, but consult your healthcare practitioner or nutritionist with any questions. Before I get into the cleanse, I'll first detail the history behind every ingredient and include a personal anecdote, dragging out the narrative until you furiously scroll looking for the ingredients that should've been listed right at the top. Or, not (you know who you are!). Ayurveda is the ancient Indian science of natural medicine, and diet is a foundational part of this holistic approach to disease and healing. Occasional kitchari diets are a common recommendation by many Ayurvedic practitioners as … [Read more...]
Groundbreaking + Land Ceremonies
Land blessings and ground breaking ceremonies are an important (imperative, for us) part of site preparation for any new construction or landscaping project, as land is a fundamental consideration in our wellness design practice. Many cultures have a symbiotic relationship with the land; gifts from the earth (including it supporting our residence) are acknowledged and revered, and reciprocated with ceremony, energy, and symbolic gifts in return. Modern-day Western culture typically, does not. We own, take, break, and strip the land for our benefit. Most often without asking, thanking, or acknowledging how reliant we are on the earth for its support and nourishment, or our predecessors who tended the land for thousands of years. As you think about conducting a land ceremony, I encourage you to first turn to your own lineage for traditions and practices that are (or were) a part of your ancestral culture. Doing this research can offer much insight into your heritage, … [Read more...]