Water Features and their Health Benefits

Water features can bring streams of well being to your life.

Moving waters, reflecting pools fountains, bridges and plants offer sights, sounds and aromas that inspire relaxation, reflection and delight.

Among the Chinese, these and other elements have been essential components of the ancient art and science of Feng Shui, a form of environmental awareness concerning nature and how her forms can affect our physical, emotional and spiritual life.

You may not have thought about this, but actually there are many health benefits coming from water features and they are related to:

Sound therapy
Art therapy
Negative Ions help refreshing and purifying the air
Water Gardens stimulate Chi energy (as described by Feng Shui philosophy)

Sound Therapy with Water Features

Sound not only affects our state of mind, but can be actually used to improve our health. It is well known that sound therapy can dramatically change one's health.

The experiment described in Message from water page, shows how different sounds or music can affect water and indirectly our own body.

The sound of the moving water has the ability to calm, inspire and heal. That's why water features involving moving water has been always important in the design of gardens, temples or cities, in form of canals, waterfalls, fountains and pools. In some cities, moving waters help blocking out unwanted high levels of noise.

Falling water over rocks and steps provides an exiting spectacle of sound.

Falling or just moving water brings life to a too quite corner, while they enhance the environment with a peaceful, relaxing sound.

Flowing water on streams through rocks, plants and gravel produces and enchanting sound of joy and happiness. It makes us feel younger, almost ready to play like children.

"Sound Therapy is becoming an increasingly popular way of 're-tuning' mind, body and spirit. Sound is used to correct imbalances on all levels of being using a method known as sympathetic resonance and entrainment." tells the Complementary Healthcare Information Service - UK ... and the sound of water is one of the most relaxing and beneficial for the mind

Art Therapy with Water Features

Throughout the human history, beauty has been an essential component in spiritual understanding.

Moving waters like rivers, lakes and springs are considered to be homes of powerful spirit beings. Waterfalls have a special ability to make us aware of the beauty of water. We are impressed and moved as we watch gallons of water descending rapidly over the edge and cascading into a pool or crashing onto rocks below.

An outdoor or indoor waterfall , fish pond, water garden, can add a beautiful visual element to any garden, back yard or home decor. You can challenge your artistic imagination, playing with different ways of creating beauty in your surrounding environment.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has developed a study about the relation between art and health.

This research took a broad view of how the relationship between art and health is articulated. It draws on an increasing body of evidence that focuses on the importance of such factors as increased well-being and self-esteem, and on the role of participation and social connectedness in the enhancement of people's health by building social capital

Indicators for such improvements include:

Enhanced motivation (both within the course of a project and in participants' lives more generally).
Greater connectedness to others.
People's own perceptions about having a more positive outlook on life.
Reduced sense of fear, isolation and anxiety.
Increased confidence, sociability, and even self-esteem.

This incredible "Rock and Water" art is exposed in Ottawa every day. Many people, including my husband and I go there and just sit on the border of the water admiring all these beautiful formations. They are natural, balanced rocks rising above the surface of the Ottawa river. Giovani Ceprano, a Canadian artist of Italian origin, builds them as soon as the spring comes and hosts the place till late fall, when the water level rises, taking the rocks back to nature. The strong positive vibes they emanate make the place a oasis of enchanting visual art and relaxation. Because of this other artists often join with their own art, like music and dance. Giovani is also a great photographer and makes prints of his art available to those who cannot see it on site.

Negative Ions with Water Features

Water features help purifying the air, by releasing negative ions, thereby cleaning your environment from dust, allergens, fumes, or electromagnetic energies. Water features also increase the humidity levels in the air, thus cooling and refreshing the surrounding environment outside or inside the house.

Indoor waterfalls and fountains can bring a little part of the outdoors benefits inside.

This Garden Leaves Illuminated Fountain calms your surroundings with water sounds and soft lighting.

The unique design allows water to cascade over the leaves while the special effects lighting highlights the beautiful water flow. The streams of water provide a natural trickling sound helping you to relax. Its convenient table top size and attractive design is suitable for any decor.

Tabletop waterfalls can be placed in:

your family room on an end table,
at your bedside on a night stand,
in the kitchen,
bathroom counter,
on your desk at home or in the office.

Indoor or Outdoor fountains not only will refresh the air but will give a pleasant relaxing look to your patio, porch or backyard. They can be a great source of running fresh water for your pets too.

You can get creative and build your own water fountains

The Simple Fountains book gives you illustrated, precise, easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for building 20 aesthetically interesting waterworks at a fraction of the cost you'd pay for those found in upscale catalogs.

Even if you consider yourself non-crafty, the authors's can-do attitude will give you the confidence to build a beautiful fountain for any corner of your office, home, or garden.

Waterfalls and water fountains are particularly great in filing the atmosphere with negative ions, while enchanting us with their beauty.

Here are some great ideas for incorporating a waterfall garden or waterfall pond into your landscape.

You can create your own: streams, springs, water spray patterns, ornamental falls, water staircases, and more

Ortho's All About Building Waterfalls, Ponds, and Streams is an instructively illustrated book that covers a wide array of imaginative water garden concepts.

Gardens and Water Gardens

Gardens are on of the most healthier places to be. They incorporate all the benefits of water features. Besides art and sound therapy created by falling or running waters or rippling ponds, plants and flowers create a natural environment of aroma therapy.

In addition, the water evaporated by plants and water refreshes the air with healthy negative ions, creating an environment of peace and relaxation.

Working in the garden is also a healthy practice. It is like aerobic exercising in fresh air and sun. Not only exercise is good to keep your muscle tonus, but working with your hands is a way to take a break from your other tasks or thoughts.

Planting some new flowers, or just taking care of existing ones, put you closer to the nature and its good energies. This is also a creative work that will give you full satisfaction, thus a good mood and positive thoughts.

Water features bring life to your garden or house, not only by the moving water but also by plants and even fish that can be added. When outdoor they attract birds, butterflies and other forms of wild life awakening and enlivening the good energy.

Does the size of your garden make it difficult to include a watercourse or pond?

Add a bird bath or a water fountain.

Birds look for water and making it available will encourage them to visit your yard.

Water features like ponds, or bird baths will attract wildlife, awakening and enlivening the good energy.
- In the Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui, they symbolize good fortune and happiness

Achieve balance in the garden with contrasting textures. Rough rocks balance the smooth surface of water. The contrast of rocks and water also represents the balance of stillness (Earth) and movement (Water) and the harmony of humans and nature.

Outdoor Water Fountains are perfect for people who want the beauty and tranquility that fountains offer, but who have limited space, or would like a smaller fountain to use indoors.

If you are interested in Feng Shui, pay attention to your garden.

The Feng Shui Complete Illustrated Guide for Gardeners by Lillian Too explains everything in very easy terms, from the shape of the lot to elements such as wet or dry areas to how to activate areas of your garden to improve your life or business.

A water garden opens up a new world of planting and landscaping possibilities. You can start small, with a hollowed-out stone that catches rainwater or jump right in with a half-acre pond that has water lilies, fish and a fountain.

Water Gardening

"No one can deny the power and attraction of water features. And it's never been easier for gardeners to add the sparkle and serenity of water to their own landscapes.

Garden centers and flower shows throughout North America provide both the tools and the inspiration. Outdoor Water Features: 16 Easy-to-Build Projects For Your Yard and Garden book will give readers the know-how."

Like in all the other cultures, the Chinese philosophy associates Water with maternity and abundance. It contains the potential of giving life an nourishes all living things.. That's why in the Feng Shui philosophy water features are considered to bring to stimulate the flux of life giving energy, bringing wellbeing into our own life's.

Water Plants

Certain plants that thrive a wet environment play an important role in landscape design, and often magnify the quality of water itself. Hindus consider the lotus a symbol of creation, immortality and rebirth.