Meditation Garden

Spirituality is a lifestyle — a personal commitment to life. It brings you closer to yourself and makes you more aware of the gifts you can share with the world. However, committing yourself to spirituality might be difficult if you don’t have a dedicated space for activities like meditation. 

This is where a meditation garden comes into the picture. A meditation garden helps you maintain a serene environment within your house premises. You can use it for activities to meditate, unwind, and get connected with yourself and nature.

In this article, you’ll learn what a meditation garden is, the elements you must consider when building it, and the plants and flowers you can incorporate.

Meditation Garden (A Garden That Builds Inner Strength)

“The garden reconciles human art and wild nature, hard work and deep pleasure, spiritual practice, and the material world. It is a magical place because it is not divided.”

Thomas Moore, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life

With the hustles and bustles of the modern world, finding your peace is sometimes challenging. You can easily get overwhelmed by the daily stresses of life, and a place you can call a sanctuary will help you overcome negative external factors.   

Martha Stewart explained that a meditation garden is a garden space where you carry out spiritual practices. It is different from a common garden and usually possesses many elements to invite and maintain spiritual energy that helps you disconnect from the physical world.

A meditation garden is built to help you purify the energy of your space.

Elements that bring certain sounds, sights, and scents are also present to help you focus on your spiritual practice.

Most importantly, your meditation garden offers tranquility and peace in abundance. It will encourage you to be still and appreciate the beauty of the present by leaving the weight of the burdens you carry behind.

Why Build A Meditation Garden?

Brenda Lynn from Horticulture explained that mindfulness and presence is the most important component of meditation and other spiritual practices. Without them, it will be impossible to reach a purely spiritual state.

On the other hand, meditation gardens beaming with life are closely associated with peace and introspection. They exist, possessing both liveliness and tranquility, which invites us to stay still and silence our minds.

She added that meditation is a profoundly intimate experience, so creating the perfect space for your relaxation and rumination might begin with visualizing the natural surroundings you consider most appealing.

Furthermore, other elements will assist you in improving your spiritual experience. For instance, the presence of calm, soothing sounds can improve your meditation. This can include the sound of running water, rustling leaves, and bird songs.

Aside from this, the comforting smell of incense, flowers, and earth will help you raise the vibration of your energy to clear your mind and deeply reconnect with yourself.

How to Build Your Meditation Garden (The Elements to Consider)

When building your meditation garden, ensure that it will be a private and comfortable space where you are safe, protected, and at home. 

Understand your needs, tastes, and surroundings to build your meditation garden accordingly.

Also, understand what you can afford. If you spend beyond your capacity, you’ll end up stressed, which negates your original intention. Estimate what you can afford and plan a suitable budget for your meditation garden.

Observe your outdoor space and identify a suitable corner for your meditation garden. Locate where you’d like to set up your spiritual space and consider fencing the area to create a limitation for your guests when they visit your garden.

Next, you must consider what you’ll place in your space. This could be a combination of different elements that stimulate your senses and facilitate spiritual practice. For this, a careful study of possible elements is needed.

Here are the main elements of landscape you need to pay attention to before creating your meditation garden.

1. Main seating region and its features.

Are you looking for a small seating space to relax and meditate? Or do you have plans to invite more people to your space and hold group sessions? Answer these questions while also considering the area you have at your disposal. 

Remember, a small space is as good as a large area. All that matters is how you use it.

Moreover, you can consider the features that will make your seating region and meditation garden unique.

Think of designs or layouts that you love. Do you want your meditation garden to match your home’s aesthetics or be distinct from other spaces? Connect them with your spiritual intentions and plan how to bring them to life.

2. Properties.

Begin with the center of your garden’s seating region. What does it feel and look like in your imagination? 

Do you like a polished finish where you can sit or walk barefoot?  Or want an open space where you can directly feel the touch of nature?

Once you’ve decided on the basic features you want for your meditation garden, you can now pick the materials. 

Choose the perfect materials for pathways, seating space, and decorations. But before making a call, check the availability of different materials in your location; it would be best if you have natural options available.

3. Climate.

Climate plays a big role in controlling the vibration of your space. It can make your spiritual experience immaculate or a disaster. 

First, consider the lighting. Abundant lighting is ideal for your meditation garden, so ensure that you’ll choose a place where you can receive the perfect amount of natural light.

Second, keep your space shielded from winds and elements that could distract you from your spiritual practice while still allowing provision for a breeze to enter. It’s important to keep your space ventilated.

Lastly, remember that each location is unique, so decide according to your region’s climate. If your region receives abundant rainfall, add a cover over your space, and don’t build your seating area in a low-lying space in your garden.

4. Sights in your space.

What do you like to look at when you want to relax? What reminds you of self-exploration and spirituality? Ask yourself these questions before setting up your space. 

You can add items that bring a sense of calm to your meditation garden. Understand what makes you feel peaceful and add them to incorporate a unique touch to your space. 

Most people don’t go beyond the normal gardening methods when there are many unique ways to bring your meditation garden to the next level.

For instance, you can plant spiritual flowers along its perimeters or add water elements like a small man-made pond, fountain, or bird bath.

Plants, statues, and artworks are also great choices. You can even add a vegetable garden to reflect and unwind while gardening. 

Don’t hold back thinking the space is small. The size of the element doesn’t matter. Intention does.

5. Sound elements.

Sounds make a big difference to your space. You don’t want your garden near the road or the separating wall as it can distract you from meditating.

See if you can find a spot with rustling sounds of leaves or hear the birds from your location. As mentioned above, you can also create the sound of flowing water by incorporating water elements in your garden.

But if it’s inevitable to encounter noises from your location, consider adding partitions in your garden to minimize the noise in your space.

Plants To Incorporate In Your Meditation Garden

Now that you’re done planning for the overall look of your meditation garden, it’s time to consider the plants and flowers you’ll incorporate into your space. Consider them as the clothes that will bring your spiritual space to life.

There are no specific plants and flowers for a meditation garden, as the decision solely comes from the owner’s preferences. You can choose flowers that have a personal meaning to you or those that will help you improve your spiritual experience.

But if you still don’t have anything in mind, here are some flowers and plants perfect for your meditation garden.

Lotus

Shiva Rea from the Yoga Journal explained that the heart could be linked to the lotus flower that unfolds at the center of the chest in yoga and meditation.

The lotus flowers symbolize purity, strength, and rebirth. It will help you create a safe and comfortable space for your mind to be at peace.

Bamboo

Bamboo is always seen in meditation gardens as they bring texture and pattern to the space.

They can be a perfect addition to your meditation garden as they symbolize strength, longevity, and flexibility. They will remind you to be resilient and open to changes and learnings when facing adversities.

Bamboo will also bolster your self-esteem as they have the power to clear energy channels and mood.

Daffodil

According to Linda Lauren from HuffPost, daffodils are known for guiding the spring. Their scent is mild and uplifts the soul, while their vibrant yellow color brings energy to the weary heart and evokes creativity in our minds.

Having them around your meditation garden will help you balance your emotions and clear your thoughts.

Fern

Alan Young from Subconscious Servant explained that this humble plant had been used since ancient times. Some use ferns for spiritual protection, while others use them for mental and emotional healing. 

Water Lily

Claire Harmeyer from Better Homes and Gardens explained that the water lily has different meanings for the different regions of the world. But in Buddhism and Hinduism, this flower signifies rebirth as it closes at night and blooms in the morning.

It also represents enlightenment because they remain blooming and pure in the midst of the dark mud.

Wrapping It Up!

You can easily get overwhelmed by the daily stresses of life, and a place you can call a sanctuary will help you overcome negative factors that can harm you.

A place like a meditation garden is built to help you restore and enrich your overall well-being.  It will encourage you to stay in the moment and appreciate the gift of life by leaving the weight of the burdens you carry behind.

When creating your meditation garden, it’s crucial to consider the elements of the main seating region, properties of the garden, climate, sights, and sound elements.

You can also bring your meditation garden to life by incorporating spiritual plants such as the lotus, bamboo, daffodil, fern, and water lily.

Now that you have all the necessary information for your meditation garden, level up your spiritual practice by reconnecting yourself to mother nature. 

Enlighten yourself with our next article, A Quick Guide to Spiritual Grounding, to get the most out of your spiritual experience.

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