I can't say enough about breathing. All living things breathe. Breathing techniques are simple to learn. For me, deep breaths of the fresh morning air are fantastic, they wake me up and heighten my senses. Keeping my breath in balance, exhaling as long as I inhale, I think of the deep recesses in my lungs that are inactive with shallow breathing and I try to fill them. I don't force air in just fill as best as I can. I make sure that the air is pure before doing this, pollutants are everywhere and can't be avoided even in the garden. With air as pure as can be obtained, rich oxygen fills the blood vessels and flows out to the entire body relaxing and energizing muscles. You only need to use this technique a few times to feel its effects, remembering to do it is the hard part.
Gardening has to be done with the body and the mind. Breathing is a good way to connect the two. Stretching is a good way to start working with the body. I will admit to not enough stretching. First thing in bed is the ideal place to start your stretching, it is the time of the day when you are first engaging your body. Pretend you are a wild cat waking up from a nap, you want to feel long and powerful. I might suggest even before starting to do laborious tasks in the garden that you begin a stretching regiment. A limber body is one that is less susceptible to injury. Our necks and hamstrings are typically the tightest, why not start there. My back and shoulders become tight after a long day of gardening, I am often rolling my shoulders around. Keeping the body moving helps it from seizing up.
Gardens should not be all work and no play. It is very easy to spend hours toiling in the garden, to be so focused on your work that everything around you is forgotten. Eventually you will look up, at this moment remember to take it all in, the sights and sounds will fill you up leaving a lasting impression. Create spots in your garden just for relaxing. A hammock, a meditation mandala, a water feature, are all great physiological aids in relaxation. All you have to do is clear your mind and let nature do the rest. Easier said than done. Taking a moment to do nothing is hard and actually takes practice.
Meditation and gardening go hand in hand. Putting all our efforts into design and implementation defeats the purpose of having a garden. That is why if we sit in our gardens they will be more alive then if we constantly manipulate them. The frog in the pond knows nothing of the great ocean. I have observed frogs sitting in the same place for hours content to soak up the sun when it shines on them and to enjoy the cool waters. What pressing matter does the frog have?
In a garden where your needs and the needs of the living system are fulfilled harmony is a state of mind. Escaping to your garden is only a breath away.
Gardening has to be done with the body and the mind. Breathing is a good way to connect the two. Stretching is a good way to start working with the body. I will admit to not enough stretching. First thing in bed is the ideal place to start your stretching, it is the time of the day when you are first engaging your body. Pretend you are a wild cat waking up from a nap, you want to feel long and powerful. I might suggest even before starting to do laborious tasks in the garden that you begin a stretching regiment. A limber body is one that is less susceptible to injury. Our necks and hamstrings are typically the tightest, why not start there. My back and shoulders become tight after a long day of gardening, I am often rolling my shoulders around. Keeping the body moving helps it from seizing up.
Gardens should not be all work and no play. It is very easy to spend hours toiling in the garden, to be so focused on your work that everything around you is forgotten. Eventually you will look up, at this moment remember to take it all in, the sights and sounds will fill you up leaving a lasting impression. Create spots in your garden just for relaxing. A hammock, a meditation mandala, a water feature, are all great physiological aids in relaxation. All you have to do is clear your mind and let nature do the rest. Easier said than done. Taking a moment to do nothing is hard and actually takes practice.
Meditation and gardening go hand in hand. Putting all our efforts into design and implementation defeats the purpose of having a garden. That is why if we sit in our gardens they will be more alive then if we constantly manipulate them. The frog in the pond knows nothing of the great ocean. I have observed frogs sitting in the same place for hours content to soak up the sun when it shines on them and to enjoy the cool waters. What pressing matter does the frog have?
In a garden where your needs and the needs of the living system are fulfilled harmony is a state of mind. Escaping to your garden is only a breath away.
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