Even if our minds wander from the task, each time we realize it we are back in the present moment. Instead of bringing our attention back again and again to the breath as we do in formal meditation, we bring out attention back again and again to the sensory experience of picking the berries. Harvesting blueberries (and other slow, repetitive garden tasks) provides an alternative anchor to the breath to practice focus and present moment awareness. We familiarize ourselves with what presence feels like, just as we do with formal mindfulness meditation. Gardening engages our senses, grounding us in the present moment.īecause our brains can’t multitask, when our senses are engaged and we rest our attention on those physical feelings, our minds take a break from past- or future-based thinking, the source of so much of our stress.
Here are just a few for you to try out on your own. Perfect opportunity to practice compassion (mindfulness activity #3).įive More Mindfulness Activities to Practice in the Gardenīeyond the broad principles of gratitude, non-judgment, and compassion, the garden offers a multitude of ways to exercise your mindfulness muscles. It’s true, a chipmunk has tunneled into the space, but I will accept his presence without judgment (mindfulness activity #2), even as he stares me down with blueberry-stuffed cheeks. The PVC pipe frame is assembled when the berries begin to form and the netting keeps most of the critters at bay. Years ago I asked my husband and sons to build this temporary structure to protect the berries from bird thievery. I pulled out a few of the garden staples holding down the protective netting, scrunched into a ball to squeeze under the small opening, and slid inside the enclosure. Gratitude (mindfulness activity #1) flowed through me. The bushes were heavy with fruit beneath the bird netting structure that encloses them this time of year, possibly our best harvest yet. In keeping with her long-standing role in my life, my garden whispered this reminder when I ventured outside at the break of day to harvest blueberries. In these early days of summer, as I ease into a less structured schedule, the power of less structured mindfulness activities (those beyond the meditation cushion, bench, or chair) becomes ever clearer to me.
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