5 Tips For Becoming A Mindful Gardener

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Gardening is a fun, natural activity that can bring you closer to your connection to the earth. But did you know that you can use your time gardening to explore a mindfulness practice, too? There are so many ways that diving deeper into the experience of gardening can grow your mindfulness, and there are even specific techniques specific to gardening that you can try out.

Mindfulness can follow you anywhere, so it’s no surprise that you can find it in an activity that’s so close to nature. Gardening can serve as an act of self-care, bringing you into the serene settings of the outdoors while you work on something meaningful. If you’re looking to explore the mindful connection you can create in your own backyard, there are a few steps you can take to help you get there.

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1. Tune into the sounds

Perhaps you’re used to listening to music or podcasts while you garden, but mindfulness is all about feeling present in your surroundings. This includes beautiful sounds all around you. Listen to the birds above, the sound of the soil shifting as you work and the wind rustling through the trees. Notice the soundtrack of nature. When you listen to other music or sounds, you’re dividing your focus, so if you’re looking to focus on gardening as an activity of mindfulness, it can help to feel fully present with your listening ears.

2. Use all your senses

In addition to your hearing, you can use all of your senses in your garden. You can even use grounding exercises as you work, noticing things that you can hear, see, taste, feel, and smell throughout the garden. Notice the sensations all around you and take stock of how you feel in your body. This can center you in your garden, using the earth and your own creations to help you feel at home in your environment.

3. Feel your foundation

Whether you have a strong wooden foundation supporting your plants or your feet are right down in the earth while you work, connecting to the foundation beneath you can be one of the best grounding techniques out there. Feel your feet rooted down as you stand before your garden, or feel the energy from the earth move into you while you sit and work.

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This technique can help you feel more connected to yourself as well as your environment by rooting you in the present moment.

4. Reflect on growth big and small

Gardening can help to cultivate a growth mindset, and you can engage in that progress consciously by taking the time to focus on growth while you garden. While you tend to your plants with care and admire them for how far they’ve come, you can reflect on your own place in life. You can embrace your power to do the same for yourself.

Tending to your plants and creating a space for them to flourish can reflect in your personal intentions, and remaining present with that can be a great mindfulness step.

5. Notice the details

One of the best ways to focus and practice mindfulness is to remain attentive to the details all around you that make up the magnificent space you’re in. Your garden holds so many beautiful elements. You can study a plant — examining the leaves closely and feeling the texture in your hands — or you could smell each of your beautiful flowers laid out before you. There are so many details for you to enjoy and be present with.

Mindfulness is all about being present with yourself and your surroundings, and your garden presents a unique opportunity to explore that. Gardening can help you engage in your connection to the earth, and through that, you can even build a deeper connection within.