Mindful Gardening: How to Do A Garden Meditation
May 3 is Garden Meditation Day, making it an excellent time to step outside and find peace in your natural surroundings. Spending time in nature has been linked to several physical, mental, and emotional health benefits, and it’s a growing area of interest for researchers.
A 2019 study of 20,000 people found that those who spent two hours a week in a green space (such as a park or other natural area) were more likely to report higher levels of health and wellbeing compared to those who did not. What’s also encouraging is that higher levels were still reported regardless of whether or not the two hours were spaced out over the week or all at once. Creating a daily habit of 20 minutes a day in nature could be just what you need to refresh your mind and body.
Benefits of Garden Meditation
There are a variety of ways to practice garden meditation. Whether you choose to meditate while gardening in your backyard, while tending to your indoor plants, or while sitting on a bench in your local park, bringing mindfulness into your time spent around nature has a host of benefits.
Gardening and meditation are powerful ways to relieve stress. We often hear about the stress-relieving benefits of meditation, but gardening has also shown to be effective. A study published in The Journal of Health Psychology showed that gardening was more effective at reducing stress than reading a book (though both activities reduced stress, so maybe a post-gardening reading session is the way to go).
It’s a great way to recharge and focus. If you’re feeling cloudy or having any mental or creative blocks, step outside to reset your thinking. Walking in nature (and even just looking at pictures of nature) can improve your focus and mental energy.
Being outside boosts your mood. Exposure to sunlight is thought to increase serotonin, a hormone associated with elevating mood, calm, and focus.
It helps us find flow with Mother Earth. With so much of our time spent staring at a screen, the act of being in nature gives our tired eyes a break and helps us reconnect to the present moment. Gardening requires focus and attention — as you cultivate and sustain life through planting, growing, watering, pruning, and caring for your plants, you fully immerse yourself in a flow state. When you spend time in the flow state, you’re opening yourself up to enhanced creativity, connection, and enjoyment of your daily life. Gardening and meditation are both effective activities to help you enter the flow state.
how to do a garden meditation
To make any activity mindful, you must bring intention and awareness into the picture. All that’s required for this mindful garden meditation is your presence. We all have different spaces to work with, so adapt this garden meditation to your own lifestyle. If you don’t have a garden or any plants to tend to, skip those steps and just enjoy the fullness of your presence in nature.
Remove distractions. Silence your phone or any other electronics. Tune in to the natural sounds around you.
Begin with an intention. Make it clear and direct: I will get lost in the flow. I will notice every sensation. I will listen to the sounds of nature. I will feel the warmth of the sun. I will enjoy the fresh air with every deep breath.
Acknowledge your plants as living beings. Plants communicate with us in a variety of ways. Pay close attention to what your plants are saying. Are they vibrant and upright? Droopy and wilted? Are there changes since you last checked in? What can you do to make their situation better? Touch the soil and listen to its story — does it need water, or is it just right? Is the amount of light appropriate? If it's time to plant, fertilize, or prune, recognize this as a beautiful step in its process of growth and transformation.
Indulge in the sensations of gardening. As you enter the process of tending to your garden or caring for your plants, focus on the physical sensations, scents, and sounds throughout the experience. Feel the soil between your fingers. Notice the solidity of the watering can, and hear the flow of the water as it pours out. Hear the sounds of every mist and spray. Smell the earth. Smell the flowers. Feel the weight of the shovel or spade in your hands. When you’re finished tending to each plant, wish it well: May you grow strong and healthy.
Enjoy presence in nature. Find a comfortable seat out in nature or near your plants. If you were gardening before, notice the footprint of your efforts in your body — do you feel sore anywhere, or do you feel open and energized? What parts of your body feel sensation? Travel your mind to those areas and just notice without judgement.
Now, tune into the sounds of nature. The rustling of leaves. The chirping of birds. Wind. Water. Silence. Let nature become the soundtrack to your meditation.
Breathe in deeply. Take in the scent of the outdoors, or the scent of the plants around you. Honor the beautiful life connection that we share with our plants: with every breath in, we take in oxygen. With every breath out, we expel carbon dioxide. Plants take in our carbon dioxide, and provide us with oxygen in return. The cycle continues. Thank the nature around you for playing its part in sustaining our life. Rest in this peaceful sense of gratitude for as long as you’d like.
If you’re a gardener or plant parent, we recommend our Yoga for Gardeners playlist of classes to help you stretch out the tension from your gardening session. Practice these yoga classes and find guided meditations and more with a free 14-day trial to Alo Moves.