I am by no means an expert on Feng Shui. I would never want to belittle those who have studied the art by pretending that I know as much about this fantastic subject as they do. The more I read about Feng Shui the more I realize the depth of the subject and know that one cannot be an expert without years of studying. My aim is to acquaint people like myself to some of the ideals and make it fun to try to incorporate Feng Shui into our everyday lives. The idea is to keep a balance in your garden of Yin and Yang.
Formal gardens tend to symbolize human power or man's desire to control and improve nature.
Instead of trying to harness nature, the Shan Shui method is to allow nature to harness us which means a deeper respect for natural forces such as heaven and earth. A natural, informal garden, especially one where a water element exists lends itself to the incorporation of Shan Shui ideals. Paths - Pathways should never be straight. They should meander like a stream. This helps deepen the landscape by adding layers.