Use Feng Shui in Your Kitchen For a Healthier You

Are you ready to start a new year with a positive vibe in your home and become a healthier you? I am! I have made some very big changes in my life. I quit my full time job to pursue my dream of inspiring  people to live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment. I also wanted to start living a healthier lifestyle in order to gain more energy to do everything I want to accomplish.

The first step I took was to learn more about happiness, passion and different ways people have gone about attaining it throughout past centuries, and Feng Shui immediately came to mind.

These few easy steps will help you to create a positive vibe in your kitchen so you will start to feel healthier for the new year!

Let me start first off by saying that I really know nothing about the art of placement, Feng Shui. Well, I know about it, I have read about it, but I have never practiced it nor moved the couch in my home according to the principles of Feng Shui. But the more I read about it, the more I want to learn.

Years ago when Feng Shui became a decorating trend and all of the magazines were filled with tips to decorate your home I didn't even want to learn about it - it was everywhere, and frankly I was put off by the way many people portrayed it. You know what I mean - it sounded silly, place this thing in a certain spot in your home and you'll get rich. Yeah, right.

However, I just recently got a hold of the second edition of "Feng Shui Made Easy: Designing Your Life with the Ancient Art of Placement" by William Spear (where was I when the first edition came out?). William Spear is one of the most famous Feng Shui teachers. He is a highly regarded educator, consultant, and writer on feng shui, vital design, Eastern philosophy, self-development, and complementary healing arts, and he is the founder of the International Feng Shui Society. And as I am reading the book, the art of Feng Shui is starting to change the way I think about not just decorating my home, but how I see my life. And it really is more about changing your life than decorating your home. I think I would do a huge injustice to you and Mr. Spear if I wrote about the book and Feng Shui without actually applying some of the techniques I learned from the book. So expect me to write more in depth posts about Feng Shui later this year, because the more I learn about it, the more I understand how little I actually know and I want to get more hands on experience.

BE OPEN FOR THE CHANGE & TAKE THE FIRST STEP

One of the best pieces of advice in the book is that Feng Shui is always more about being than doing, it's about balance. Finding that balance is the key to everything, to interior design, furniture placement and essentially to your life. It's more about changing your life, than about home decorating. I think with everything that happens in life you need to be open to possibilities and open to change. So even if you read and study Feng Shui in order to improve your life, you need to believe in it, and be open to making the necessary changes. And if you want to decorate your home in order to be healthier - changing your home decor won't really help, if you still keep eating unhealthy food. See what I mean - it is a full transformation, not just decorating.

FENG SHUI FOR KITCHENS - FOR A HEALTHIER YOU

Start with your kitchen, it is the symbolic source of well being in your home, and essentially the well being of you. The stove, sink and refrigerator should not be placed directly next to each other. Water and fire should also not be placed opposite of each other. If your stove is next to the sink (water) or refrigerator (cold) add a plant or even a picture of a plant or wood to help for better flow of energy and harmony.

Start changing your kitchen immediately by clearing out the clutter. This means extra items on your countertops, but also in your pantry. Think of the purpose of every single item on your counter top - is it needed, or just clutter? What about your pantry and refrigerator - clean out old, expired and unhealthy foods.

Clutter and old food prevent energy flow, and you will need to clear them out to start feeling better  internally. Health expert and nutritionist Maggie Moon gave the same tip to toss the unhealthy foods, the cost of your health isn't worth keeping it. Bring the element of "wind" into your kitchen by not just cleaning out the clutter, but recycling and composting everything you can to respect Mother Nature.

While you might have tons of spices or pots and pans, and you feel that it is all "clutter", don't get rid of it all just yet. It's OK to have a large collection of things, you just need to organize them well so that it's a collection of items that have a purpose.

Also clean your dining table and the areas where you eat. Make sure you have a space reserved for eating only. If you work at your dining table or the kids do their homework there, clean everything off of it before your dinner time.

Once you've removed all the clutter, make sure you fill your pantry with the right items. Bring in "earth" energy to your kitchen by buying organic and natural foods. You will feel prosperity when you know your kitchen is full of healthy items. Always keep the "wood" element in the kitchen as well. The plants and pictures of plants are technically a good way to do it, but better of course is to keep fresh green vegetables and fruit on hand for healthy eating.

Do the kitchen clean up and stock up on healthy foods together with your children so they can experience the positive energy as well.