Q&A Sunday: Choosing a Yantra

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I would like to buy a yantra canvas from your site, but I'm having a bit of trouble choosing which one would be right for me. I want to focus on health for myself and my family, and I would like to put it in the center of the house to coordinate with the feng shui bagua. Would the most appropriate be the Sun yantra? If not, could you please make a suggestion?

Charmaine B., NJ

 

Dear Charmaine,

Thank you so much for your email and question about yantras. One of the reasons why we developed the “Mandala Matchmaker” is because a lot of people ask me similar questions regarding which yantra is right for them! There are a few different ways to approach the mandala selection.

When I painted my first yantra, I was asked to select which one I was most drawn to. First thought, best thought. This is tapping into your intuition. That’s a wonderful way to select a yantra mandala, because we are often intuitively attracted to what we need. 

As I began to learn more about painting yantras and mandalas, my teachers started teaching me about Vedic numerology - which is also an excellent way to work with things that you need. You can explore your own number and see what challenges and what successes arise from this.

With my Vedic studies, I began to connect the concepts to feng shui. I created a section of the Mandala Matchmaker that relates to your intention. This is also, of course, very useful. I connected it to the feng shui bagua map, because there was a lot of interconnectedness in the two modalities. 

This leads us to your question. You would like to select one based on what you need — which is health for your family, to be located in the center of your home. 

If there is need of great healing, the Mahāmṛtyuṃjaya yantra, on the top right is the best. 

If it's health in general the Ketu yantra, on the bottom right is better.

For both:

The blues/greens are Wood element, which is great for the health/Earth area. It gives a ground for the Wood to root and can break up the stagnation in any Earth.

I hope this helps!

Also, if you need more assistance I’m available for consultations where we can pinpoint and focus on what is best for you based on our specific circumstances.

by Anjie Cho

Go Green and Get Happy: The Sill

I'm super excited to chat with some of our new favorite plant people in New York City, the staff at The Sill. Located in the Lower East Side, The Sill is a plant shop dedicated to inspiring people to "bring more of the outdoors in" and helping them do just that! Staying in touch with nature is a huge part of feng shui, a great way to make adjustments and, in general, an all-around excellent decision for your space. Check out what The Sill experts, Erin Marino and Christopher Satch, have to say about bringing some nature inside!

AC: Tell us about The Sill and your approach.

EM / CS: The Sill is very different from other nurseries and florists in that not only do we source only what we consider "easy care" houseplants (no green thumb required!), and design our pots and planters in-house + manufacture them locally in NJ, but we also walk you through plant ownership pre-purchase and continue to be a helpline once you bring your plant home. We are a growing community of people passionate abut plants, and we don't want to just sell you a plant and that be it. We want to help you pick out the perfect one and help you care for it by providing tips and advice, as well as plant diagnostics. You're not alone with your plant when you're with us. 

You list five of the benefits of having houseplants on your website. What would you say is the biggest benefit, and why?

All of those benefits - increase in mood, decrease in stress; cleaner indoor air; increase in productivity + creativity; an enhanced environment; etc. - are great benefits to have, but probably the one that stands out the most to us is that your plant companions are uplifting. They boost your mood and increase a space's aesthetic value. Plants make people happy! We also happen to enjoy the air-cleaning qualities, too. Everyone can use some fresh air, especially in an urban environment like New York City where we're based. 

How do you select plants to offer your shoppers and followers and how do you package these plants? 

In our NYC storefront, or when speaking with our corporate clients, we often ask about the environment in which the plant will be located - How close is it to a window? How much direct sun does it get, if any? What's the care commitment that can be invested into this plant? We don't want to give a high-maintenance plant to someone who's too busy to care for it. And we think that that's where a lot of other companies lag. They'll tell you that you can have whatever you want, and as soon as they have your money, it's goodbye. We not only help you pick the best plant, package it so that it's stable during transport, and doesn't get damaged, but we also want to see it through in its new forever home until it's thriving. 

What are 3 tips for our readers, to bring in some of the Sill philosophy into their holistic spaces?

#1 - Know thy space

Keep a vigilant eye on where the sun is at different points in the day. Where is it in the morning? Midday? Evening? How does this affect my plants? How about my humidity and air flow? Radiators and A/Cs can have a profound effect on a plant that's very close to them! And usually a negative one. 

#2 - Keep in tune with nature

To keep a plant happy and healthy in a house, the goal is to recreate the natural environment as best as possible. We provide information on the origins of the species of plants that we carry. This helps us and our customers place the right plant in their homes that their homes' environment allows for, or help them make the changes to come closer to creating it. 

#3 - Have fun

Enjoy your plant companion and have fun with it.  Decorate your pot, or if your plant is a vine, train it along crazy trellises. Use natural stones or gravel on top of the soil of any color that your heart desires. Horticulture is both an art and a science! Let your artistic side shine and express yourself. 

How does The Sill create a holistic space for itself (and / or for your clients)? 

Since plants make people happy, the more plants, the better! Our shop is covered from floor to ceiling in all sorts of greenery. And not all plants are green! Some come in various shades of every color you can imagine. We know that there is something for everyone, and you don't need a "green thumb" to reap the benefits that come with the presence of plants in a space. 

by Anjie Cho

The Sill brings easy care houseplants direct to your door, order online or shop their Lowest East Side storefront located at 84 Hester Street. Featuring their own line of locally made plant pots and stands, The Sill aims to inspire you to bring more of the outdoors in. 

The Sill was created with a simple ambition – to inspire people to bring more of the outdoors in. Our mission is to make the experience of discovering the perfect plants as wonderful as the plants themselves. The Sill is the source that bridges the gap between plants and people – offering products and services that to fit with your personal style, your lifestyle, and your budget. 

Your Guide to Spring Flowers

Spring is in full swing, and we're finally starting to see pops of color in nature. In fact, spring's various flowers may be one of the best parts of the season! Whether you're fortunate enough to have an outdoor garden, looking to add some new houseplants or just searching for the perfect fresh bouquet to bring a little nature indoors, spring flowers are the perfect way to welcome the change in weather and spend some time with nature. 

Of course, there are tons of blooms that make their appearances in spring, so how is one to choose which beautiful blossoms to add to a holistic space? These are a few of our favorite options for getting your hands dirty or bringing that perfect cutting to the dining room table. 

Peonies

Peonies are perennials that bloom primarily in spring, last through summer, and are able to survive the winter as well. In Chinese culture, the peony is known as the "King of Flowers" and represents richness and honor. Peonies are hardy flowers that can be found in shades of red, white and yellow, and they can be grown outside in sunlight and well-drained soil or coaxed to grow indoors in clay pots near sunny windows. 

Tulips

Tulips are one of the most popular symbols of spring, as they represent new and eternal life. They made our Mother's Day list too! Tulips are mid-spring blooms, primarily from April to May, and come in a range of different colors and styles. There are over 3,000 registered varieties of tulips, all of which make beautiful fresh flower arrangements! Whether you're planting outdoors or in your apartment with clay pots, tulips do need a "winter" season, so be sure to plant before winter or use a chilling treatment inside.

Lilies of the Valley

This white, bell-shaped flower is a late-spring, highly fragrant bloom that makes a lovely addition to a fresh flower bouquet or a beautiful potted plant. As a note, Lily of the Valley is poisonous, so keep out of reach of children and pets (especially adorable chihuahuas!). Outdoors or inside, lilies of the valley need well-draining soil and light to moderate shade. Or you can bring nature indoors as cuttings and show them off in a beautiful vase! 

Daffodils

Another mid-spring bloom that grows in many colors (yellow, white, orange, pink), daffodils are a spring staple for bringing in the season. These common flowers are often the first sign to many that spring has sprung, and they're beautiful outdoors, potted indoors or cut for bouquets and posies. Plant them outdoors before winter, spaced apart with moist, but well-drained soil, or coax them out indoors in a deep pot with cold treatment. 

Hyacinth

Let's not forget the beautiful hyacinth and grape hyacinth, early-spring blooms that also symbolize the birth of a new season. Greek legend has that hyacinth first grew from the blood of a Greek named Hyakinthos. Jealous that Apollo was teaching Hyakinthos, whom they both admired, to throw a discus, Zephyr blew the discus back at Hyakinthos, killing him. Even with a deadly story, these flowers bloom beautifully in shades of white, peach, salmon, orange, yellow, pink, red, purple, lavender and blue. Plant them outdoors in the fall or bring indoors as coaxed houseplants or gorgeous flower arrangements! 

There are, naturally, almost as many spring flowers as there are regions of the world. If our favorites don't spark joy for you, also try pansies, anemones, hibiscus, hydrangea, birds of paradise, freesias, amaryllis or any other flower that makes an appearance during the spring season. No matter which blossoms you choose, remember to bring a little nature, and a pop of color, into your holistic space this spring!

by Anjie Cho