The use of your backyard sometimes depends on its layout and aesthetics. Your garden, for instance, is a place that should be used to allow you to reestablish your long-lost connection with nature. When constructed properly, it can give you one more reason to spend time outdoors, which is essential in this interior-centric world that we live in. Most importantly, it can do the same favor for your entire family. So, how do you create a meditation garden that you and your family will get to enjoy? Here are five ideas that can help point you in the right direction.
1. Build a deck
There are several elements that should serve as a core of any meditation garden. You need to start with the seating and get both the volume and number of options right. Even if you want to get a mat, the thing is that you need to place it on a suitable surface, seeing as how bare ground won’t do the trick. This is why going for a deck might be a superior choice. The deck doesn’t have to be too large. After all, a mediation deck is your own nook, it’s not a place where you plan to greet guests, it is your own personal oasis. In other words, it is a project that can be completed on a budget.
2. Four elements
Thematically, you want to add four natural elements to your mediation garden. Air will already be present in abundance, as well as the element of earth. Now, if you’re going with a closed-off concrete patio or a wooden deck, you might want to compensate for this by introducing some pot plants to the mix. As far as the fire goes, you can get a couple of candles and carefully position them across the deck. You can also go for lanterns or thematically-fitting candle-holders. In the case of the water, it all depends on your budget and intentions. A micro-fountain would be your best bet, seeing as how it provides you with the sound of running water, as well.
3. Lush vegetation
Another thing you need to think about is the surrounding vegetation. Placing the meditation garden on your property is always a good idea. Still, you need to take into consideration the importance of the lush vegetation that envelops it. For this, you will have to work quite actively on the landscaping. Proper layout and proper irrigation are pivotal for achieving these goals. You don’t even need a sprinkler system, seeing as how a reliable garden hose can do the trick. The thing is that you need to be vigilant and a hose system requires more active effort in your maintenance.
4. Provide privacy
The next thing you need to work on is your garden’s privacy. This is not just a structural but also a thematic upgrade. The idea is that you can retreat somewhere where you’ll feel safe. This is a matter of sheer pragmatism above anything else. By feeling exposed while you meditate, your mind will wander off in most unpleasant of directions. You need a screen, either transparent covered in vines or one that completely shields you from the outside view. Keep in mind that you’re walking a fine line between providing privacy and restricting the view. The last thing you want is to make your meditation garden claustrophobic. So, try finding the layout pattern that you find appealing in this sense.
5. Natural materials
The last thing you need is an abundance of natural materials. Even while meditating, you can sense the aroma of timber and its texture beneath your soles. You can feel the coldness of the stone and the smoothness of bamboo. This way, by investing in natural materials in your meditation garden, you’ll get a chance to reconnect with nature by using tactile and kinesthetic senses, as well. Going for a Zen garden with stones and sand is another great idea.
In conclusion
At the end of the day, if you want the entire family to enjoy your Zen garden, you need to bring everyone on board. The key thing is that your team knows exactly what they’re getting into. Nonetheless, you need to start with some of the above-listed basics. If meditation is the key, you need to give them proper seating for meditation. Then, you need to study the basics of the concept in order to study whether there are some other improvements or upgrades. Methods that help appeal to other senses are generally a great idea.