Each year, National Garden Meditation Day is celebrated on May 3rd. Taking time out of our busy schedules and hectic lives to enjoy our own outdoor space can be so rewarding.
Meditation practices date back to the 5th and 6th century in the South Asian cultures of Hinduism and Buddhism and involve methods of relaxation and stress relief, to unjumble the thoughts in our minds to achieve tranquility.
Meditation doesn’t have to take hours of concentration. You can really feel the benefits from just 20 minutes of focused meditation.
Health benefits can include better concentration, greater self-esteem, and even increased pain tolerance. It’s also a great mood booster, so if you love being outdoors and are happiest when pottering in the garden, garden meditation could be worth a go.
Garden Inspiration
If you’re wanting to build yourself a well being paradise in your garden, why not look at plants and the benefits they could bring to your outdoor space. From natural remedies to sound absorbing plants and species which can help improve the air quality, here’s a few options you could try:
Lavender
The very scent of lavender is known to have calming qualities. It’s great for reducing anxiety and stress levels and quite often used in lotions and sprays because of its calming scent.
Ignite your senses with this plant and submit to its calming properties.
Hornbeam hedge
If planted around the border of your garden, a hornbeam hedge can be a fantastic filter for air pollution. It’s robust and can really benefit roadside gardens, keeping traffic pollutants from entering your space.
Chilean Bamboo.
Having sections of this non-invasive bamboo in your garden can be a great way of keeping unwanted noise out. It also makes a gentle rustling noise when the wind catches it, creating your own tranquil garden soundtrack.
Rosemary
Rosemary is used in a variety of recipes in home cooking, but this herb is proven to enhance alertness, memory, reduce anxiety and aid relaxation. A wellbeing garden staple.
Peppermint
Peppermint has some fantastic health benefits. It can enhance attention, alertness, memory and reduces stress. Peppermint does tend to spread, so plant it up in pots around the garden and enjoy it’s fresh minty scent.
Foxglove
If you’re a sufferer of hay fever, there’s a whole host of low pollen-based plants that you could introduce to your garden. The foxglove, although laden with pollen, the unique shape of it’s flowers hold it inside.
Being Inspired by Nature
Nature can inspire internal wellbeing through a variety of different forms. Artists are often influenced by the natural world. Animals, wildlife, plants and the environment can all play a part in invigorating those creative juices.
Observing nature as it’s happening around you and taking in the sights, sounds and smells of your outdoor space can provoke creativity in wonderful forms. Nature writing, for example, can be so expressive and informative, you can paint a picture with words.
Anna Foster, who signed up to one of our nature writing courses, has sent us some wonderful extracts from her nature writing journal. Reading through them, you can really imagine yourself there, with her, taking in the events as they happen. She transports us outdoors.
“As I hear the nature around me, I take off the ear muffs of the human world. The sounds that meaninglessly drone on with no purpose. Now I can truly hear. The forest isn’t quiet, it’s full of the sound of life. Far from the human noise we surround ourselves with which is so useless it may as well be silence”
Anna Foster – Taking off the earmuffs
“The log I sit on is soft beneath me, layers of cells and bark turning fury as they age. I wonder what this tree was like when it stood proud and tall. Was it a beacon of life, supporting insects and birds? I suppose even now it offers life. Cobwebs comb it, bees buzz around it, insects make it their home, birds use the twigs to build nests.
Trees are magical beings. They live far longer than us – how many large oak trees have seen the rise and fall of empires? The sparks of revolution turning to false totalitarianism? The development of technology. Trees are the elephants of the plant world. Surely they remember everything”
Anna Foster – The Tree
It’s all about expressing what you see and how nature in that space makes you feel. If nature writing could be something you’d like to learn more about, we have a great range of Introductory, beginner and intermediate writing courses, perfect for budding writers and nature enthusiasts.
To discover how nature can inspire you, why not take a look at our art and leisure courses
Join us in celebrating National Garden Meditation Day with the #NationalGardenMeditaitionDay and #GardenMeditationDay and tell us if garden meditation is a practice you enjoy.