There are some very obvious reasons why people buy indoor fountains for their homes, but there are also some rather nice benefits that most people would not even think about. Let’s take a look at some of those added benefits. We’ll start with the more obvious first.
The decorative appeal of indoor water fountains is obvious. These beautiful pieces can only be referred to as art in motion. Everyone is looking for unique decorating ideas for their home. Indoor fountains are the perfect choice for adding a stunning accent to any room and will have everyone talking.
Stress-Reduction and Inner Harmony
Throughout time, moving water has been a source of enchantment and wellbeing, helping people feel more relaxed and refreshed. If you’ve ever sat beside a waterfall or a gurgling brook, you know how you feel soothed by the sound of running water.
Today, we live mostly indoors surrounded by unnatural sounds and disconnected from Nature. We may feel closed in and overwhelmed by our fast-paced and high-tech living. A bubbling fountain helps to block out less harmonious noises, while it allows us to tune into more natural rhythms within ourselves. Even a momentary pause to watch a fountain helps us to experience the present moment in greater fullness and appreciation.
Humidity for Dry Air
Fountains have a natural humidifying effect on dry air. The peaceful sound of flowing water is far more pleasant than the hum of a humidifier. The environment that surrounds the tumbling water of a fountain is naturally enriched by negative ions. That is one reason we feel good around them. You may have read how too many positive ions in the atmosphere resulting from air pollution and other factors can cause disease. When negative ions are more highly concentrated, they have a beneficial effect on the body and mind, possibly enhancing mental clarity and a sense of ease. Negative ions also help clean the air.
While not everyone has to suffer through low humidity, many of us do. Whether you just live in an arid climate or the winter cold has frozen the moisture out of the air, you suffer just the same. Low humidity dries everything out; your skin, your hair, your eyes, and even your mucous membranes. This then leads to itching, chapping, dry eyes, nose, and throat, and increased susceptibility to colds and respiratory infections.
Your home and belongings suffer as well. Everything dries out and cracks, and static electricity runs rampant. I’m guessing this should be obvious, but indoor water fountains are natural humidifiers. And unlike other humidifiers, that may force too much moisture into the air; you don’t run the risk of over humidifying and creating a healthy environment for mold.
Indoor Water Fountains Create A White Noise Effect
White noise is created when something generates sound in all different frequencies at the same time. I know you’ve experienced this many times in your life but never realized what it was.
Maybe you’ve been in a really crowded building, with hundreds or even thousands of people, all hanging around in groups talking. If you got there earlier, when there were fewer people, you could probably hear the people at the next table clearly. But as more and more people showed up, the harder it became to hear until it got to the point where no matter how hard you tried you could not hear what they were saying at the next table. Your initial thought might be that it just became louder with so many people, but volume has nothing to do with it. These people are probably not talking any louder than the people at the next table and they are farther away.
What you are experiencing is the saturation of the frequencies and you can no longer discern the individual voices. You then just hear the “buzz” of the crowd….. Or maybe outside in a rainstorm, you may have found it harder to hear someone you are talking with. Again, it’s not the volume of the rain, it’s the white noise effect masking out the frequency of the other person’s voice and other sounds. Flowing water has that effect. It doesn’t block noise; it masks it so that it’s not as annoying and distinct. In many cases, so indistinct that you don’t know it’s there.
Feng Shui
Feng Shui is the revered art of placement practiced by many. The principles of the theory are just now starting to spread into decorating trends in Western countries. It has particularly developed a positive reputation in the United States and prompted many consumers to seek out consultations by Feng Shui experts to arrange their living and working spaces in the most optimal way, according to the ancient values.
The major principle of Feng Shui is nature, which produces Ch’i (Qi) or spiritual energy. Feng Shui enthusiasts believe that Ch’i is flowing all around us all the time. Literally, Feng Shui translates into English as “Wind-Water”, Ch’i being the energy that flows between these two aspects. The goal of Feng Shui guidelines is to synchronize land, living spaces, landscaping, and belongings with the flow of Ch’i through our lives. If done properly, inhabitants can achieve Tao or Harmony.
For many Western citizens, the practice of Feng Shui can seem complicated and confusing. Yet there are many smaller steps people interested in transforming their homes or offices. An indoor water fountain is an excellent example.
Indoor water fountains bring the soothing natural sound of flowing water into homes or offices. Feng Shui improvements will be greatly complemented with an indoor fountain addition to living spaces. The presence of moving water fills the requirements of the Shui, or water component. According to the practice, when placed near a door entrance, a wall fountain can inspire successful business transactions, enhancing the career area. Or perhaps in a room used for study or reading, an indoor fountain would be placed in the knowledge Gua (area) of the room to promote learning.
Furthermore, indoor fountains have been proven scientifically to be a source of negative ions, which have a positive effect on health. Because of these water sources and the negative ions, a fountain additionally fulfills the Feng, or wind, a portion of the Chinese philosophy. Simply from placing stress-free water fountains in a room and letting it transform the space’s air supply.
Fountains are the best solution for easy transformation of a home or office into a Feng Shui paradise.
Improved Work, Study, and Sleep
The combination of the relaxing, tranquil sounds and the white noise effect, gently filter out the annoying background noises that might otherwise disturb your concentration. Indoor water fountains help create the perfect environment for working or studying.
When you’re trying to concentrate the littlest sounds can be annoying. The ticking of the clock, the person a few cubicles down from you tapping their pencil on their desk, or even the kids down the street playing basketball. While obviously perfect for the home, tabletop fountains are also great for your desk at work or for a student’s dorm room. The same benefits that create a great environment for
The Subtle Symbolism of Flowing Water
Ever mutable, water adapts itself to whatever shape it flows over. Water teaches humility and the ability to “go with the flow.” At the same time, water is strong. Without exerting, it gradually transforms anything in its path.
As humans, we often find ourselves resisting change or resenting our circumstances. We forget to let our thoughts and feelings flow when they need to. We hold back and resist because we think letting go will make us weak. Sometimes fountains remind us to release our limitations and resistance. They demonstrate how to maintain subtle strength through acceptance. And their gentle trickles inspire us to keep alive our softer soulfulness. Fountains remind us that “all really is well”.
The Truth About Negative Ions
In the case of ions, being negative is a positive thing. Our bodies need negative ions, but just about everything we do creates positive ions. Negative ions are abundant in nature, but the closer you get to the cities the fewer negative ions are available. And in your homes, there are very few if any. Water fountains do more than just simply look good. While the sheer size and impressiveness of many of the most famous natural fountains in the world are nothing short of breathtaking, there is scientific evidence of another phenomenon at work as well. Ever notice the feeling you get when standing next to a large waterfall, or active mountain stream, or even a rocky ocean shore? This is due to a group of air particles known as negative ions.
Despite the connotations of their name, negative ions, in fact, have very positive effects on us. Perhaps in your youth, your mother urged you to “get fresh air”? Turns out it is more than just an old wives tale. Every electrical device in your house produces positive ions as do our own bodies. Negative ions counteract the positive ions and neutralize them, but in our homes, there are overwhelming numbers of positive ions. Your shower, of course, creates negative ions, but it’s just not practical to keep that running all day long. Negative ions also help clean the air of pollutants. Their negative charge attracts dust and other airborne impurities, removing them from the air. This allows us all to breathe healthier air and is especially nice for those with allergies.
Indoor Fountains Produce Negative Ions
A negative ion is an oxygen ion with an extra electron attached. They are produced through disturbances in water molecules like fast-flowing rivers and indoor fountains. The vigorous feeling you get when breathing country air or standing to view the Niagara Falls is caused by negative ions.
Negative ions have been proven to have a beneficial impact on health and mood by affecting the serotonin levels in the brain. Negative ions also cling and bond with impurities found in the air they occupy, acting as natural air purifiers. Conversely, positive ions are responsible for the grogginess people often feel cooped up in an office or after a long drive in a closed car. Because negative ions are produced in large quantities by flowing water and sunlight, the air in rural areas has many hundreds of times more negative ions than air in a large metropolitan zone.
The air around the Niagara Falls and other similarly turbulent water sources, for example, can contain anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter. Compare this number to that of a stuffy car or office, which can contain zero to at most a few hundred per cubic centimeter. The correlation between the number of negative ions and the overwhelming general moods found in these places is telling.
Improving negative ion count, however, is a very simple task. Indoor water fountains will drastically alter the invisible quality of air in any room it is introduced to. In addition, when humans are living in a negative ion-rich environment, the negative ions into the bloodstream and naturally increase serotonin levels. This been shown to help relieve stress, alleviate depression, increase our daytime energy levels and improve our overall mood. That’s why we think it’s important to point out that indoor waterfalls and fountains create negative ions, which in turn makes for cleaner, healthier and more energized air.
As you can see, there are a lot of benefits of having an indoor fountain other than the beauty and pleasant sounds.