Feng Shui the Winter Blues Away

For many, January is a time to let down after the holidays. December’s festivities have ended and our homes that were once full with guests and adorned with decorations and lights, can feel rather quiet and empty. As you head into the darker period of stillness and colder temperatures of winter, recognize the value of this yin time of year and go inward, slow down, and honor the three “R’s”. Rest, Restoration and Reflection.

In Feng Shui, the season of winter relates to the water element that symbolizes flow, a pooling of energy and tranquility. It is also associated with the body fluids, the bladder, elimination and most importantly, the kidneys. The kidneys are the vitality center of the body. It is extremely important to keep your kidney energy strong especially during the winter.

Follow these steps to keep yourself happy, healthy and warm and create an inviting environment to beat the winter blues.

1. Remove all holiday decorations and clutter

First things first. You must remove all decorations from the holidays. Because guess what! They’re over! The new year is a time to start over and it feels so much better with a clean slate. Our homes can become overly disorganized after the busyness of the holidays. Besides removing decorations, declutter your pantry closet, refrigerator, and your coat closet. Start with areas you use all the time that have gotten completely disorganized. You’ll feel so much better in the New Year being organized.

2. Change things up

Feng Shui stems from the I-Ching, a Chinese oracle that translates to The Book of Change. Energy is never stationary and neither is your life including your goals, your career, your children, and your environment. Look around your home and see where you can make some change. It’s amazing how shifting the arrangement of decorations or furnishings in your home can revitalize the energy in your space. Move your pictures around or create an inviting, cozy area where you can curl up to read your favorite book, knit or watch a movie.

3. Create a meditation area

Find an area in your home that is quiet and create a spot where you can go inward, reflect, journal and meditate. Create an altar with candles, sage, spiritual figures, crystals, flowers or whatever feels sacred to you. Add some pillows and a blanket to keep you warm as you go inward.

4. Add some Yang to the Yin

Winter is a yin time of year, so we need to add yang to help balance the energies.

• Bring color and greenery inside with flowers and plants to add yang energy.

• Add fire elements into your home. Add touches of red, light fireplaces, candles, salt lamps.

• Decorate with animal prints to add the fire element.

5. Play with light in your home

Natural sunlight is critical for good health and proper and creative lighting in your home can completely change how you feel in a space.

Open your window coverings during the day to expose yourself and room to sunlight. If aren’t able to get enough sun exposure during the day or experience SAD, use special lights to help combat the winter blues.

Bright overhead lighting can cause mental stress and strain on eyes. Fluorescent lighting can have a negative affect on your health. Opt for full energy spectrum light bulbs. It closely mimics the energy spectrum of natural sunlight. Put your lights on dimmers.

Be creative with lighting by adding string lights in a glass jug, or wrap a LED wire lighting around a decorative item. Use salt lamps or candles or place up lights behind furniture or plants to create depth in corners and cast interesting shadows on the ceiling and walls. Table lamps add pleasant lighting and relieve eye strain. Keep certain lights on timers so you can enter your well lite home at night and always use dimmers on all of your lights.

6. Warm your body and nurture your kidneys

Drink plenty of fluids to flush your kidneys and avoid ice in drinks. If your body tends to get cold, eat foods that strengthen the kidney and warm your body with stews and soups. Drink warming teas with ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Eat foods in the onion family, black beans, lamb, salmon and chicken.

Keep your lower back protected from the winter cold to protect your kidneys. There are many ways to nurture your kidneys and the meridian points associated with them.

• Rub and gently pat your lower back where your kidneys are

• Rub the center of the soles of your feet to stimulate the kidney meridian points.

• Use a metal spoon and rub the soles of your feet for a few minutes per foot. This helps ground your energy and stimulate the kidneys.

• Tap the K27 meridian points in the first notch under the end of your collarbone towards the center of your chest.

7. Use warming essential oils

Black pepper, cardamom, clove bud, ginger, juniper berry, marjoram and rosemary to increase circulation in the body. Cook with them, add a few drops of three of these oils to 10 ml of a carrier oil and rub on your body, and add them to a warm salt bath.

Finally bundle up and spend some time outside, and enjoy the far infrared warmth of the sunlight or sitting by hot fire on cold evening. And remember in just a few months spring will be here!