Stress is often seen as an unavoidable part of daily life. It can be stressful getting the kids ready for school, having that important meeting with your boss, or even making all the hundreds of decisions you need to resolve every day.
Unfortunately, excess stress is not good for your health. That’s why everyone needs to develop a way to remove stress and relax.
You’ll hear people praising yoga, meditation, or even exercise, all of which can reduce your stress levels. However, a Zen garden is also a great way to relax.
In fact, these types of garden originated in medieval Japan and have been used by Buddhist monks for centuries to help them meditate and reach nirvana.
A mini Zen garden is going to benefit you. After all, you probably don’t have the time and space to create a full-size Zen garden!
What You’ll Need
You don’t need a lot to get your Zen garden going:
Container
You can choose any type of container you want, glass, plastic, or even biodegradable. It really depends on where you’re putting it and what you want it to look like.
Sand
Sand symbolizes flowing water and is an integral part of your mini-Zen garden. White sand is traditional, but colored sand adds a nice twist. Of course, it needs to be fine sand to ensure you get the best possible patterns.
Stones
Stones need to be placed in a pattern that means something to you. It is best to use polished stones but you can use outdoor stones, providing you clean them first.
Plants
Air plants are one of the most popular choices for a mini-Zen garden but you can choose anything you like.
Rake
It needs to be a miniature rake, a full-size one will destroy your garden in no time! The rake allows you to create patterns in your sand, these should mean something to you.
Top Tip: You can boost the calming ability of your mini-Zen garden by adding a few drops of essential oils to your sand, any oil is okay!
If you wish you can use a few drops of JoJoba oil, this will make the sand appear wet and the patterns stand out.
Creating Your Mini-Zen Garden
You’ll need to add the sand, (and any essential oils), to your container first. You can use a simple bowl or several bowls inside each other to create different effects.
Then position your stones and finish by adding plants. Don’t forget you’ll need to look after the plants, consider their location and planting method carefully, it is best to have plants that need watering in their own small pots.
Don’t forget, you can change the plants, design and even add ornaments to your mini-Zen garden at any time. The aim is to feel calmer the moment you look at it.
Don’t forget to position it where you can see it, especially where you’re likely to feel stressed.
In addition to keeping plants around you, it has been proven that fresh flowers also boost your mood and can reduce stress. It can be hard to get away to buy fresh flowers, so a regular delivery service or flower subscription can be especially helpful.
Image by Jan Zatloukal from Pixabay
