Garden Therapy

Published March 29, 2012 | By Jane

Gardens add serenity

No matter where you live, you can garden. There are different climates that offer different growing conditions in various parts of the world. You can even grow indoor gardens in special rooms or on a window sill. But the no matter where you grow your garden, you can benefit from it. Not only can gardens help you grow food, herbs and create beauty around yourself, but gardening can be an excellent form of therapy.

In a world where stress, materialism and frustration seem to oppress so many of us, the garden can be the best form of therapy. Garden therapy – unlike making an appointment with a doctor — doesn’t drain your budget for short, limited appointment times. Nor do our gardens have any expectations of us. In fact, gardening can offer excellent fresh air, exercise, exposure to natural sunshine vitamin D and a sense of calm, self-centering that can reach down to the foundation of the soul. It isn’t about growing the perfect garden: it’s about the process of simply growing a garden that is healing.

There is something very powerful about watching a seed sprout, grow, mature, flower and set seed. And tasting the fruits, vegetables and herbs you’ve grown yourself creates a unique satisfaction. Once bitten by the gardening bug it is hard not to become a fanatic. Digging and planting, clipping and weeding can all become calming chores that set your mind into a Zen-like open state. And once you start exploring all the astonishing forms of plants and flowers that you can grow, you will discover an endless world of beauty, design, learning and fascination. Maybe it’s because there is something so very basic about gardening that resonates to our most basic instincts. Whatever the explanation, getting your fingernails dirty seems to help the heart and soul find a sense of belonging – a sense of being part of something grand and important.

Yet when pressures and demands impose stress in life, the garden can be a great healer. Watching a bee at work, studying the intricate design of the interior of a flower, watching fish glide serenely through pond water or listening to the splash of water from a fountain – all calm the spirit, slow the heart beat and can sometimes be as healing as many sessions of therapy.

Gardens have been proven helpful to the young and the old, the infirm and the stressed and gardening programs have been incorporated into many medical healing programs.

Even if you don’t have property sufficient to grow a garden, you can create one on a patio, balcony or other small area with container gardening. And you can visit your local arboretum, parks or other public gardens if you want to wander over a large space to enjoy nature. Don’t underestimate the power of the garden for therapy. There are many sites on the Internet that specialize in the benefits of a therapy garden. The next time you find yourself stressed, try spending a few minutes sitting peacefully in a garden. See how healing a garden can be. And consider having your own therapy garden to soften the daily stress that our fast-paced living can cause.

For more information on all the potentials and uses of garden therapy check out: The Therapeutic Landscapes Network

Originally posted 2010-05-28 07:00:25. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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