It has been a beautiful day. The sun shone with the brilliance of the first nice day, bringing hope for the adventures only summer can bring. The happy, smiling faces of daisies dancing in the wind, the budding blossoms on the chives plant. With each weed that is pulled, birds chirp wildly nearby, bouncing along the roof and scattering bird feed.
Meditating, doesn’t always have to be in the confines of the home, the studio. You can bring yourself to mindfulness and meditation even while lovingly tending your garden. Stroking each leaf of lavender, brushing each sage plant, plucking mint with precision. Brining yourself to truly experience the soil under your hands, your nails, the grass under bare feet and knees; ruffle of the wind caressing your cheeks.
Imagine that each time you put your trowel in the soil love leaks out of you, into the ground, feeding the worms and roots. Each caress of the wind a thought flies away with it. Not minding the bees buzzing next to you, or the dirt in your nails. Becoming completely entrenched in the task at hand, mindfully present.
These moments, these meditations have to single-handedly be my favorite parts of summer and warm weather. Brining my yoga practice outdoors to connect to the beautiful scenery around me, connect to the natural rhythms of Earth. The ebb and flow of nature can teach us a lot, and being able to bring your sadhana outside is a treasure one waits each long winter night for.
The next time you find yourself outside, become present, just be. See where the meditation leads you, whether you continue to garden, or you find yourself lying in the grass becoming still enough to embrace the life around you.
