Kitchen Sadhana
So what is Kitchen Sadhana?
Sadhana translates to “spiritual practice or the discipline undertaken in the pursuit of a specific goal”. Kitchen Sadhana is the discipline taken within your kitchen to align with your lifestyle, with your intentions and to better serve your collective needs.
So what is Kitchen Sadhana?
Sadhana translates to “spiritual practice or the discipline undertaken in the pursuit of a specific goal”. Kitchen Sadhana is the discipline taken within your kitchen to align with your lifestyle, with your intentions and to better serve your collective needs.
I first learned of this practice from the book Body Thrive by Cate Stillman. Some of the information shared within this blog is from that book, with my spin on it and of course a sprinkling of a bit of joy along the way!
Cate Stillman says “The energies you bring into your kitchen, from your ingredients to your attitude, give rise to the energies and attitudes you experience from what you eat.” I took this quite seriously, I began immediately realigning my kitchen to match my intentions and the feeling tone I was looking for after reading her book. The concept made so much sense.
The goal of this practice from my take is to create beautiful nutritious meals for your family, yourself, your friends, community, or whomever, with ease while enjoying the process along the way. In action this could mean making an effort to keep your kitchen clean, stocked, organized and aesthetically pleasing. Get rid of clutter and foods that don’t support you!
The approach:
In my kitchen I like to keep it very organized and clean. However, naturally some days are easier than others. My Kitchen Sadhana begins by cleaning out my pantry, making sure everything is stocked, making a list of items we need and get rid of any items that no longer serve us…like that bag of Oreos that snuck in! From there I re-organize my spices and refresh those that are old. Did you know spices are only good for 6-12 months?? You’re welcome! Finally I get rid of any kitchen tools I’m no longer using. Consider donating any items that can be salvaged and pack them up putting them directly into your car!
Once the first step of purging is complete I like to give my kitchen a little love with some good ole elbow grease. Clean, clean, clean.
I do this DEEP end of year purge around this time (approaching the New Year) and then I typically do a modified version of this process that includes cleaning out the fridge on a weekly or bi-weekly basis (or monthly if that’s what you can do, just make sure to keep an eye on your fridge). Set aside 1-2 hours to put this ritual into action, literally pencil it into your schedule!
Every Sunday I meal plan. Start by checking your own inventory. What do you have? What are you low on or completely out of? Start to create your grocery list. Grab some recipes then create a meal plan based on what you have. From there try to source whatever else you need locally. Join a co-op, visit local farms, find a farmers or community market, plant a garden, or move next door to a gardener. ;) The final stage would be to order any remaining groceries from the store (online preferably), then clean out the fridge.
After your meals are set, make your staple items. Make bulk foods from scratch ahead of time that you use often to sustain you for that week i.e. live probiotic foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled red onions, make your hummus, cut & prep veggies, cook your grains, create a sauce, etc. Check out my Sunday Meal Preppin’ Blog for more ideas on planning & meal prep.
Finally, I don’t particularly love the esthetics of my kitchen so I like to have decorative items to bring some extra joy into my space. Plants, beautiful serving boards and plates, my favorite cookbooks and my diffuser for all the good smells (when I’m not cooking of course). Update and swap things out as the seasons, your goals or the mood changes throughout the year.
The energy of your Kitchen:
The Kitchen Sadhana efforts really help to clear energy within your kitchen because clutter = chaos. So by clearing your space you're bringing the energy levels down. You’ve also created a beautiful space that is filled with things that bring you joy.
A couple other things you can do is put away all of your dishes before you get started with any meals and clean anything that needs to be cleaned so you have a fresh start.
Set your table, even if its just for yourself! Creating a place for you to eat in peace without distractions…this includes no phone or TV! Get flowers, light candles, do it up like it's the most important meal you’re ever going to eat..every.single.time.
The energy YOU hold:
In some cases we come into our kitchens after a long day of work or errands and we bring that frenetic energy with us, that fast paced, rushed feeling and we jump right into cooking a meal. Maybe you just got into an argument or a disagreement, had an unsettle conversation and we aggressively move through our prep work. It's important to clear your own energy before you go infusing your food with murky funkiness leftover from your day.
Just like we center at the beginning of our yoga practice, to arrive fully, we should center to arrive fully in our kitchens. The work becomes not bringing any of the energies with us, into the cooking process or more importantly the eating process, that isn't going to serve us. Because again, The energies you bring into your kitchen, from your ingredients to your attitude, give rise to the energies and attitudes you experience from what you eat.
Shake off any of that negative energy by playing your favorite music even do it a little dance… literally shake it off! Stop, place your hands on your body. Take a few deep cleansing breaths, set an intention, then begin to prepare a meal filled with LOVE & JOY!
Once you’ve prepared your meal. Set the stage for a mindful approach to eating. Here are some final tips:
Center, give thanks & bless your food before eating
Get rid of distractions
Chew slowly, try to drink afterward
Savor the food & have gratitude for where it came from
If you’re eating with a group Pits & Peeks around the table is always a fun idea. Everyone goes through their lows and highs of their day or week. This is a great way to check in with your loved ones!
If you’re eating alone try a gratitude meditation: I am grateful for….the farmers that plant the seeds…..the rain & the sun that helps the seeds to grow…..the people that harvest & provide the food…..the privilege to purchase the food…..your hands that prepared the food…..the ability to smell & taste the food…
As they always say old habits die hard so have grace with yourself as you’re putting this new ritual into action. Remind yourself of your intentions and the feeling tone you want in your kitchen. Realign and realign again. Most importantly enjoy the process!
xoxo,
Darcy
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