Perfect Harmony: Importance of focus while studying

Bilkis Whelan passed away suddenly on April 30. This will be the last of her fortnightly column Perfect Harmony for Tabloid. An international author, consultant, speaker and teacher on Feng Shui, Vaastu Shastra, meditation and Eastern astrology, she had travelled widely to study the esoteric secrets with world-renowned Eastern masters

Studying is an important aspect of our lives as we grow up and develop our careers. We study at school, college and at home - so how should we arrange our workspace for the optimum support from the energies that flow through our environment?

Feng Shui recommends that the ideal position for the study desk should be close to the wall but also facing the door. Although by facing a wall when studying, you can help to keep your thoughts from straying, it can also be exhausting and not particularly inspirational!

For children, you do not want them to be distracted, but neither do you want them to feel that they are being punished when they sit down to study.

I remember my own schooldays. Whenever a teacher punished an errant child in class, they were told to face the wall with their back towards the rest of the class. What a feeling of isolation this gave to the child.

Everyone staring at the child were probably mocking and deriding the "outcast" in their thoughts. What an awful punishment for any child; certainly not one to impose on a child, however unwittingly, in their own home.

If their desk at home were facing a wall, and their back towards the door, then that same feeling of isolation and exclusion would be created. But this time they would be isolated from their own loving family. Avoid such an arrangement.

Arrange the desk so that the child will have their back towards the wall. Ensure that there is enough space between the wall and the chair so that it is easy to get in and out without feeling enclosed and trapped. Avoid distractions outside by closing the door.

Make sure that there are no shelves above the desk or head. Shelves that are directly above one's head can lead to headaches, frustration and exhaustion. They can also lead to a feeling of being bullied and suppressed by the world.

When anyone is studying they should try to keep the quantity of books and papers on the desk to a minimum. Don't have them scattered all around Don't crowd the table with stuff that is not needed - such as pencil and pen holders, diaries, pictures, clocks, etc. Keep to hand only those books that are needed.

Put the rest away. Too many books strewn around on the table can draw the attention from the subject at hand. Remember that a cluttered desk can mean a cluttered mind. When studying and working, focus is most important.

After the child has finished his or her work, make sure that they get into the routine of putting everything away neatly. Leave the shelves and work area tidy and free of clutter.

Going back to my childhood again, I remember I was never allowed to put any books on the floor. Someone might walk on them. I was taught always to have respect for the written word. Text and reference books were always looked after.

When my friends and I moved on to a higher grade, our books were always passed on to a younger brother or sister. In the case of the youngest of the family, they were given to the school so that someone else could benefit from them.

The eldest sibling in the family was, of course, the most fortunate - he or she would almost always get brand new books, while the youngest always got the "hand me downs".

Inevitably as the books got older they also got additions - of Sellotape and the occasional scribbled note. Some families seemed to suffer more than others, but the good treatment of books at a young age is an introduction into recognising and acknowledging that the world has limited resources.

Respect for the environment is an important part of good Feng Shui. We take so many things for granted. It is sometimes only as we grow older, that we care more about our environment.

My husband and I both read a lot and tend to buy many books. Many of them are ones that we know we will never pick up again, once we have read them. For us the best thing to do is to give them to a charity shop that can sell them on at a low price to another person.

Less clutter in our home, some income for the charity, a low cost book for a lucky buyer and a little bit of help for our environment. All part of living in harmony.