Enjoy the benefits of Gardening for Health: Body, Mind and Spirit

There is a lot to be said for gardening.  If you think about it, what can be more tranquil than a lovely garden at the back of your home where there is little around you except for nature? If you design your garden with nature in mind, it really can provide a healthy means of gardening for body, mind, and spirit – indeed, food for the soul.

A Prayerful Place to Feed Your Soul

In fact, let’s start with that. No matter what you plant in your garden, set aside a small area for prayer and contemplation. Everyone has those moments in life when the world starts spinning away from them while they try to come to terms with the grand scheme of things. A nice statue, a water fountain and maybe a bench would be the perfect spot to commune with God. You don’t even need to go far to find the things you’ll need to build your prayer corner. You can find statues on sites like holyart.co.uk while there are water fountains and garden benches and trellises at your local home improvement stores.

However, moving on from there, this might be the area where you plant flowering plants and herbs that add fragrance similar to the incense burned in many churches and temples around the world, and that attract pollinators into the garden.

Food for the Table

Most of those herbs you can use to flavour your foods. With that in mind, another corner of your garden can be reserved for vegetables and fruits grown organically. Organic produce is usually a high-ticket item in most grocery stores but can you be 100% sure those foods are really organic?

Also, when you grow your own garden, not only can you pick and eat fresh produce right off the plants but you can also reduce the amount of waste from leftover foods and even coffee grounds. By starting a compost mound, you can be assured of organic fertiliser while knowing you are not adding to landfills that are already beyond capacity.

A Bit of Mindfulness Direct from Nature

Just as you need a place to set yourself apart from all the chaos in life to focus on the spiritual side of life, relaxing in nature can add a sense of peace as well. It is suggested that when you are laden with stress you take a few moments to breathe deeply and bring your mind back to the present. Let go of troubles that besieged you in the past and refrain from worrying about tomorrow.

The very same tranquillity that helps you feel the presence of a divine power can also help restore a troubled mind. Mindfulness is having the ability to be fully aware of where you are in the present, which helps you let go of all the stress you are burdened with.

There is nothing like a garden, no matter how small. It takes a little planning to ensure you are gardening for body, mind and spirit, but once you’ve begun growing the best that nature has to offer, it will be your own little slice of paradise right out your back door.