Mindful Gardening

Do you know the wide health benefits of gardening?

I am talking about reconnecting to nature, about boosting your general wellbeing, about happiness and mental health. I all I am talking about what I call Mindful Gardening.

Mindful Gardening for me is having a daily gardening routine of 5–10 minutes. In these 5–10 minutes I of course do the real gardening that has to be done, like watering the plants that are thirsty, removing brown leaves, maybe guiding a bean or cucumber up the trellis, thinning my seedlings or pruning the tomatoes, hunting for snails and of course harvest what is ready to eat.

But way more important are the other things that happen during those 5–10 minutes.

1. I am outside → getting fresh air, and producing vitamin D
2. I am relaxed → it helps me to de-stress & wind down
3. I am conscious → really connected with nature, excepting the natural pace of things in a garden
4. It’s me-time → during which I can refocus on what’s important in life and put the busy day into perspective to what really matters.

I have my daily gardening routine set for the late afternoon or early evening. Of course depending on the time of year as checking on a garden in the dark is not so easy. Although the phone flash light does come in handy over winter I have to admit.

But of course you can set your routine to take place when it is easiest for you. I also have clients that split their routine in two parts. Especially now that we are home all day.

They do a little check on the vegetables during their lunch break including harvesting some fresh green for lunch and do the watering and other more technical things at the end of the working day to wind down from the busy schedule and to really get away from the computer for a little while after all the video calls and virtual team meetings.

One final health benefit of gardening I want to mention is touching the soil. I hardly ever wear gardening gloves as an Easy Urban Garden doesn’t need any really hard work that could cause blisters or cuts to your hands.

And research shows that soil microbes have been found to have similar effects on the brain but without the side effects and chemical dependency potential of common know antidepressants.

There’s a natural antidepressant in soil. Mycobacterium vaccae is the substance under study and has indeed been found to mirror the effect on neurons that drugs like Prozac provide. The bacterium is found in soil and may stimulate serotonin production, which makes you relaxed and happier.

Gardeners inhale the bacteria, have topical contact with it and get it into their bloodstreams when there is a cut or other minor injury.

Research so far indicates that the natural effects of the soil bacteria antidepressant can be felt for up to 3 weeks.

So yes gardening does improve your health and wellbeing in many, many different ways.

Now go out there and get your hands dirty. Because “Touching the soil is like touching the soul of life”.

And if you’d prefer gardening together you can still join my program Your Urban Paradise. In 4 weeks you will design, build, plan and sow your very first Easy Urban Garden. For more information or to enrol, visit my website: Your Urban Paradise