The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

What is mindfulness? How do we practice it? According to Kabet-Zinn the effects of mindfulness are an “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, nonjudgmentally.” Practicing taking walks through your yard or the park and just noticing what is around you without actively labeling everything. This is an active way of quieting the mind. Another term for it is called just being. From one moment to the next there is nothing but that moment. Practicing mindfulness stops the judgement we consistently bring in our thoughts.

Why practice mindfulness? In our very active lives, we are hurrying from one moment to another. Do we realize how much we miss around us? Do we even know how much we miss? Mindfulness helps with reducing anxiety, reducing blood pressure and bringing about calm. It even brings joy into our lives. According to a study published by Harvard University, people who have access to a green space live a healthier life and have less physical and mental illness.

When you are in the garden and busy doing a task, you are focused on the task at hand. That is mindfulness because you are not thinking about the weekend or the next doctor’s appointment coming up. When you focus on what is right in front of you, everything is clear. You will notice the details of a plant or flower you had not noticed before. It is time to stop and smell the roses, that you are growing. Focus on the color or the smell or the form of the plant. In that moment, it is just you and the plant.

Appreciating the landscape around you, can elevate your mood. If you plant with intention, feel the soil in your hands, study the plant making sure you are planting at the right depth and that all parts of the plant are healthy. Listen to the water as you are watering. It is just you and the plant. You are connecting with nature.

This type of focused intention in the moment stops negative thinking brought about by judgement. Mindfulness brings about a restorative nature to all of us. In minding our garden, we mend ourselves. We grow to appreciate what is around us and see more of what we have been missing. Mindfulness calms us. If you sit in a garden and look at a flower in bloom, that is your moment, rather than being anxious about something. What you focus on in the present, becomes your reality. So go outside, take a walk and focus on nature.