We’ve talked before about the future of wellness and what it means in terms of design principles, and while key trends such as sustainable interior design and a more rounded, grounded approach to fitness are emerging, this happens to tie in nicely with a surprisingly ancient concept too. Welcome to the feng shui gym.
You’ve heard of feng shui interior design, of course. But for anyone who needs a quick refresher, let’s touch briefly on the central philosophy of this centuries-old Chinese practice.
Feng (Chinese for wind) and shui (water) refers to the idea that the design and furnishings of your home or business should be arranged to create balance with the natural world. It’s about harnessing good energy (or chi) and establishing a harmonious atmosphere.
So how can feng shui design help you harmonise your gym or wellbeing space?
The principles of a feng shui gym
The future of wellness is continuously evolving, so it might sound counterintuitive to talk about the ancient art of geomancy. However fitness is no longer just about pumping iron or pounding the treadmill for 45 minutes.
Modern fitness takes a more holistic approach to wellbeing and smart gym owners are realising this. They’re transforming their facilities into somewhere that, yes, clients or employees can work out, but also places that help to foster a greater sense of mental wellbeing.
So if good gym design can have a positive impact on mental health, as well as physical, what can the feng shui gym hope to achieve?
In feng shui design, the way you organise your space symbolises the type of energy you put out into the universe. And just like a good workout, what you reap is what you sow.
So how can you incorporate feng shui interior design elements into your gym so that your users truly look forward to their exercise sessions and leave feeling uplifted and pumped for the next workout?
Feng shui interior design elements for gyms
It stands to reason that anyone visiting your gym is doing so because they want to achieve certain goals, be those goals to become stronger and fitter, lose weight, train for a marathon, or maintain a general sense of physical and mental wellbeing.
And as a public, private or corporate gym owner you owe it to your users to provide them with a space that inspires them to reach and exceed their targets. Here’s some ways in which a feng shui gym can help them to do just that.
1. Establish your commanding position
The placement of items, furniture and equipment is integral to feng shui design and central to this idea is something known as the commanding position. This is the place in a room that gives the greatest sense of empowerment and, crucially, it should offer a clear view or line of sight to the door, as well as a general overview of the space.
Now, in a feng shui gym, this might not always be possible as it is likely that your gym is divided into different zones for different types of exercise. But if you are at liberty to do so, placing your most-used equipment – your bikes or your treadmills – in the commanding position will allow as many users as possible to benefit from this principle.
2. Clear out clutter
In feng shui interior design, one of the main tenets is that good energy – chi – should be able to flow freely under and around objects. Of course, a gym that contains barely any equipment isn’t going to work for obvious reasons. But ensuring that your facility is tidy and doesn’t contain unnecessary equipment will help users release their stress and focus better on their workout.
Some practical tips for a feng shui gym design include making sure that weights, mats, resistance bands, exercise balls and other small items have somewhere to be stored when not in use. Polite signs reminding your guests to return equipment to its rightful place should also help maintain a tidy area.
3. Consider sights and smells
To create a space with good energy that inspires people to really show up when they come to your gym, you need to uplift them. Clean and purified air will help your guests breathe more easily as they’re expending all of that energy, meanwhile peppermint has been proven to have a positive effect on sports performance so you may want to consider strategically placing aroma diffusers around the space.
Positive energy can also be impacted by decor so consider what you hang or paint on the walls of your feng shui gym. Inspirational mottos are always a good bet for fitness facilities and will help to motivate users to be the very best they can be when working out.
4. Choose your colours carefully
Colour is important in feng shui interior design as each of the five elements is linked to a specific hue. Wood is represented by blue and green, earth by yellow, metal by beige, white and silver, water by dark blue and black, and fire by red.
The colours you choose need to align with the vibe and customer experience you want to create. There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to colour in a feng shui gym. Red is typically associated with energy and passion and that may work well if your gym is uptempo and loud, but if you’re going for a more earthy, zen-like atmosphere you might want to consider a wood, metal or water colour palette instead.
5. And use mirrors even more carefully!
There are a myriad of rules surrounding mirrors in feng shui interior design but we’ll cover a couple of the basics here. Mirrors are believed to have very distinctive properties which means they should be handled with care as they can multiply the energy of an area and reflect and disperse incoming energy.
Many feng shui design masters advise against hanging a mirror opposite a window as this can attract negative energy and bring it into the building. This is especially true if there are ‘negative items’ outside the window, such as electricity wires and even pipes. You should also avoid placing a mirror opposite the main door as this can reflect good energy, effectively bouncing it out of the door and out of your gym.
Feng shui design for forward thinking gyms
In feng shui design it is believed that your surroundings mirror your life. Whether feng shui interior design is applied to the home, workplace or wellness facility the principle is the same.
Change your environment for the better and your life will change too. And the same goes for the people using your gym. Clutter and uninspiring design result in stagnation and blockages. A thoughtfully designed gym with feng shui design motifs will inspire and motivate users – even if they don’t quite know why!
Better gym design with zynk
At zynk Design we understand what makes a good gym a truly great gym. Whether it’s the optimised layout, the colours, the lighting techniques, high tech features such as world class audio visual and immersive design experiences or even adherence to feng shui gym design principles, we can elevate your wellness space.
Take a look at some examples of our cutting edge gym design or get in touch with us today to find out more about how we can help bring your ideas to reality.