11 May Stand Up for Good Feng Shui

The incredible beauty of Feng Shui is its versatility—-true to its “wind and water” nature, it appears to adapt to any situation. The latest office trend which I’ve been witness to are standing desks, enabling people to stand and move about while they’re working. This flies in the face of the recommended Feng Shui practice of having a solid-backed chair in which to make good decisions with support and clarity. People are doing away with chairs at their desks, opting to stand tall, move back-and-forth, and walk out their problems rather than ponder from the comfort of an ergonomic chair.

Fast Company, who spreads the word on what’s trending in the creative business world, has published an article that says standing desks are definitely far superior from a physiological standpoint than the traditional office chair. In fact, there are similar results from the other new trend—-treadmill desks, ere someone can log in a few miles and lower their blood pressure while reading emails or talking on the phone. I’ve worked with people who have one or the other of these systems—-and they LOVE them.

However, what I’ve also observed working with these clients is they all have had the option to sit down when necessary. Either the desk itself moves up and down so they can sit in a regular office chair when the desk is lowered or they have a tall chair which they can use on an “as needed” basis when the desk is in the standing position. If they’re walking at their desk, there is always an option to sit at an additional standard desk or table. So sitting is not out altogether.

In either case, I still suggest that they stand (or walk) with a solid wall behind them for the protection and support that is so important in an office. I also hold them to the Feng Shui requirements for a good office chair, even though it’s secondary to their working experience: high-backed, ergonomic, rolls easily and has arms. Adapting to modern trends and modern ways of working, Feng Shui proves its universality no matter what the situation.