Cultivating Seeds of Mindfulness
Time in the flower patch gives us time to gather the roses and our thoughts.
By Nora Isaacs
 As winter thaws into spring, we witness nature being reborn all around us. Beyond simply appreciating its beauty, participating in this magical change can become a practice in mindfulness.
The act of gardening often evokes a single-pointed focus that is not unlike the concentration we experience—or at least try to—when we meditate. “By the time we are planting, weeding, or digging, our mind and body have entered into a new realm. We are using this time not only to ‘do’ a gardening task or chore but to transcend our daily state of being,” says Fran Sorin, a gardening expert and author of Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening. And just as our yoga practice can connect us to our own vital energy and true inner nature, gardening links us directly to nature’s outer process of birth, life, and death.
The next time you feel lost in your garden—your mind calm, focused, and present on the task at hand—know that you’re not lost at all. You’re actually practicing yoga.
 
March/April 2005
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