It is a known fact that the best way to relax and calm the mind is through meditation. This therapeutic practice has existed for ages to relax the mind and the body and is still prevalent. People generally find a tranquil spot or go to yoga centers to practice meditation. Instead of searching for such places, why not have Zen meditation gardens in the backyard of homes? Such gardens are perfect for practicing mindfulness while being in the midst of nature.

What exactly is a Zen meditation garden?

A Zen garden has tremendous importance in Zen Buddhism. It is a type of meditation garden originally created for Buddhist monks to practice mindfulness. In the modern era, these gardens are used by people to relieve stress from daily grinding.

The style of the garden is simple. It makes use of minimalistic materials to provide a serene environment to relax. It may incorporate sand, rocks, and sometimes water elements. There is little use of plants in designing a Zen garden.

That said, meditating in a Zen garden provides many psychological benefits. Some of them include:

• It helps in relieving stress
• It helps in reducing anxiety.
• Improves concentration and focus.
• It can help in alleviating symptoms of depression.
• It can help in reducing age-old memory-related problems.

With their minimalistic materials, these gardens are becoming popular because they invoke tranquility and peace that help in stress reduction. And most importantly, these gardens can be built anywhere, be it in the backyard of a home, commercial property, or office space.

This leads to the question, who benefits from these gardens? Working individuals, busy parents, and wellness enthusiasts can soak up the benefits of Zen garden spaces. Working eight hours, five days a week, commuting, family life, and daily interruptions may provoke stress. Realistically, anyone can de-stress and practice mindfulness by meditating in these garden spaces.

What Elements Are Required For Zen Garden?

Water Feature Created From Natural Stones

Sometimes modern Zen gardens include water features to add a decorative touch to the garden. For creating water features, natural stones are the way to go.

Stones like large granite boulders are used for creating waterfall features in the garden. Other stones like elite blue granite and Wiarton are also used in designing waterfalls. The elite blue granite stone is a dark to medium grey with light quartz veins. These stones are not only used in creating waterfalls for gardens but also for golf courses, parks, and more.

The Wiarton natural stone has veins running horizontally over the exteriors of the stone. These kinds of characteristics are what a designer looks for when designing a waterfall.

Sand/ Gravel

Sand or gravel plays an essential role in the Zen garden creation. They are used specifically to recreate nature. They are also used for mimicking water ripples. The sand or gravel is raked to create lines that represent flowing water. These lines have a calming effect on the mind. In fact, in the olden times, monks used to re-rake sand patterns, which would help them calm their minds.

Natural Stepping Stones

Stepping stones are considered an integral part of the Zen garden. They are used as pathways in the garden where people can walk comfortably.

Landscape Lighting

Landscape lighting, also known as garden lighting, helps illuminate the garden. Such lighting enhances the garden’s beauty at night and highlights the garden’s best features. Therefore, you are not limited to enjoying the Zen garden during daytime hours only. Landscape lighting also helps make the space warm and inviting.

Landscape Edging

Edging the garden is essential. Without edging, the garden looks unfinished and disorganized. In the Zen garden, landscape edging is necessary to keep the stones, sand, and gravel in one place. This will keep the garden’s original design pristine and help keep weeds from trickling in.

Zen gardens are one of the best places to perform meditation, relax the mind and the body and reconnect with nature. Due to its minimalistic elements, only a few landscape supplies and materials are required. If you are ready to incorporate a Zen space into your landscape design, contact FSI Landscape Supply today for all your Zen garden essentials.