Mindfulness – which put simply means living fully in the present, rather than worrying about the past or future - has huge benefits including stress relief and better focus.
Gardening is the perfect activity to connect with what you’re doing and your surroundings, even in winter, and especially on those bright crisp days when the sky is blue and clear, colours glow and you’re so focussed on pruning or digging that worries seem to fade.
Many of us already know the soothing effect of gardening, but if you need help dealing with negative feelings, the key, say mindfulness experts, is not to not berate yourself for feeling that way, instead, gently move your focus to what you’re doing on a sensory level. Try to notice everything around you, the colours of berries and bark, the scent in the air, the birdsong, slowing your breathing down, until you begin to feel that sense of calm that gardening like nothing else, can bring. And relax…
Potpourri Magazine
Body, soul and gardening - Beat the winter blues with mindful gardening
