Most of us aim to do right by the earth. We try not to litter, we turn the water off while brushing our teeth, or we pick up trash when we see it on the way into a store.
Our gardens are the best place to make our pledge to be the earth’s stewards. We can control the chemicals that go into the earth, the structures and their ability to decompose in a beneficial way, and how to best support the animals and organisms that also call this patch of earth home.
Mindful gardening is all about being aware of all that goes into the process that make up your garden.
Here are a few things I do to keep my slice of heaven more alive.
1.) I dont spray my lawn with any fertilizers with weed killer added in. I am the only house on my street that has skunks and possums digging up her yard. I love it! It’s a great sign that my soil is thriving. The nightly visitors don’t bother us during the day and even show me where I might have to check for squash vine bores.
2.) I stain my cedar garden beds with TUNG oil. This oil is safe for microorganisms and growing food. No worries of toxic chemicals leaching into my food or the environment. It needs to be reapplied once a year, but it’s easy to slop on.
3.)I use lots of compost in my garden. This feeds plants as well as microbes. The cons are that the soil level drops over time, but by the the time that happens, Im already ready to put something new in that spot anyways. I love to plant my annual vegetables in it as well as top dress all my garden beds every year.
4.) I plant the NATIVE cultivars of plants when I can. This helps native bees, butterflies, moths, and wasp. I make sure to put these all over my garden so they can have plenty of food. I also make sure to stagger the plants by bloom time so there is always something for them to eat until they go into hibernation.
5.) I don’t kill spiders. I leave these hard working mamas and papas to protect my garden from the insects that would eat my plants down to nubs. Jumping spiders are my favorite followed by the orb weavers.
Do you have anything you do that brings about more health to your yard that you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments.
The “This looks Good” meditation is one that I have *just realized* I do A LOT of when I want to override my brain spiraling into unhelpful thoughts.
It’s an easy concept but its implementation is why it works.
When I find my brain starting to chatter and then change that chatter to panic, gloom, or try’s to switch on my fight or flight over things I can’t help: I momentarily Gas Light myself.
I force my mind to shut the fuck up and notice what’s going right IMMEDIATELY! POST HASTE! Unless it’s life or death or I’m going to jail. We are good. This is good. It’s all good. Find the evidence for what’s going right and make your brain keep finding good things.
The brain is a quagmire of unhelpful and helpful information. It’s great…really… But even it doesn’t really care about your joy. Ever had a bad dream that made you wake up crying? Thanks brain…and why did you think a metaphorical gut punch is what I wanted to start my day with?
Rewrite the patterns consciously and soon enough it will be easier to see the multiple angles of any situation.
So, next time the world seems like it’s coming down hard around you. Find the good and hold on to it for a few minutes. It will allow your brain to reset and take a more mindful approach to your situation.
According to Ayurveda, Spring is the time to tackle new active goals.
This can be confusing since Spring is associated with the Kapha Dosha. Kapha is a combination of the earth and water element. This means its nature is slow, smooth, cool, and easy going.
…That doesn’t seem too active to me.
So, why is Spring the best time to take action?
Because those are all great qualities to tap into when aiming for an new active goal.
When we tap into that easy going, slow and steady rhythm, we can’t burn out or get hurt as easily.
This season brings the slow awaking of the earth and when we tap into that slow unfurling of energy, we set ourselves up to gain momentum at a steady and joyous pace.
What’s a good exercise to get into? ALL OF THEM! This is the time to get into strength building, running, mountain biking, Vinyasa style yoga (you knew I had to say it) etc etc. The energy of the season supports it as long as you’re guided by that energy.
In the Summer (think last Frost Date), Pitta Dosha (fire element) becomes the main constitution of the season and amping up your actions can over heat your body and mind. It can also make feelings of frustration and competitiveness more dominate. In order to combat that, it’s important to embrace water and opportunities to stop and smell the roses. There’s also nothing wrong with embracing the fire element during the hottest months of the year, it can feel exhilarating and rejuvenating. It’s also a great time to take an activity “up a notch” as long as you spent time laying a good foundation during the spring.
Some things to take into consideration when starting a new active goal:
Know your limitations and guard them. Lead your body towards a new way of being with compassion.
Dont give up completely if you’re finding yourself out of your element/ comfort zone. Just chalk it up to learning and keep going.
If you need a professionals help, get it. Your results will come quicker when support is close by.
Make sure you’re still having fun. If you’re not, tap into the energy of spring and ask yourself how you could have more active fun today.
I hope you have a beautiful spring full of movement, flow, and joy.
Winter, the coldest season of the year, brings with it more than just chilly air, breath-taking snowy landscapes, and cozy fires. It also represents an inward journey, a time for self-reflection, and an opportunity to reconnect with oneself and nature. As winter’s icy grip takes hold, here are three powerful rituals that you can incorporate into your life to celebrate this seasonal shift.
This Season naturally lends itself to darkness. It sometimes even feels like Space and Air are the only elements running the show for months. This can lead to scattered thoughts, our mind descending down rabbit holes, and a disconnect between the mind and the body. The best way to stay grounded and moving towards our goals in winter, is to make their presence louder than the mind chatter that is pulling you away from them.
Rituals are Important for our ability to follow through. We when dont have a system in place, our goals may never manifest or take longer than necessary. Rituals can be anything that you do that achieves a goal. Brushing your teeth, making your coffee before you wake the kids up, setting our clothes for a special occasion, these are all rituals.
But, if you want to really add some magic and beauty to your reality, then that should be reflected in a few of your rituals as well.
The Early Winter Rituals in this article will be for embodying the aspects of winter that can speak to the soul. The items are all suggestions and are mainly applicable for areas that are experiencing winter as colder and with snow.
Ritual 1: Spreading the Light Ritual
Items to include: A Lamp*, candle (at your own risk), or battery string lights/candles.
*I suggest a lamp for 2 reasons: Its less costly than buying new candles and replacing batteries… and you can get creative here and have a special or decorative “winter lamp” that has the potential to light up your whole space.
Bring your own light to the darkness with a special lights or candles.
A Hour before sunset, turn on the lamp or light your candle(s) and reflect on how precious light is. Be grateful and not melancholy, if you can help it.
The lamps/candles represent the sun, the stars, and the light in our hearts. Just like the moon, we reflect more in the winter. Set an intention with this ritual to bring more inner light into your world. An intention of hope and kindness. “Know” that what you put out, will be reflected back to you. Have faith in your ability to dig deep into your heart to pull the light up.
Ritual 2: Winter Alter Ritual
Items to include:
winter greenery
Edible nuts from native trees or spent flowers from native floara
A candle or light element (see part 1)
The Greenery Represents shelter, protection, perseverance, and prosperity.
The nuts and flowers are the seeds of new beginnings. They represent Hope, Renewal, and full bellies
The Light represents the sun and that it’s precious life giving light and warmth will return now as the days become longer.
It is important to keep you alter fresh for two reasons: I keeps the space clear of stagnant energy and to be consistent with reminding yourself of your goals or what makes you feel love in this life.
The ritual is on going: When you pass by your alter or gaze at it, Remind yourself of what each item represents and how you’re drawing that energy in to yourself.
At the end of winter, you can have another ritual to close winter and asses the changes winter brought as you’re preparing for the Spring Equinox.
RITUAL 3: The “Here and Now” Ritual
Items to include:
A Mandala Image
Comfortable clothes to wear so you’re not distracted by discomfort due to clothing or temperature.
A journal or a pad of paper and a pen
Your Mandala symbolizes your point of existence in relation to everything else that you affect. It’s a sacred shape and can be very powerful when its image is revered as a catalyst for remembering to be present and aware.
Gaze at the mandala image and let its symbolism marinate in your mind. You, at this very moment, are in this exact spot, at this exact second and effect so much just by sitting still, let alone when you start to make your way around the world.
Looking up from the image and find 5 things that are pleasant about your surroundings and 5 things that are neutral and 5 things that are unpleasant to just your eyes. You can get up and look out the window for this too.
Next, close your eyes and listen for the sounds and note them. example would be to just label the sounds as they enter your awareness. Do this for a few moments.
Next, notice any scents in the air, sensations around the body, tastes in your mouth, and how you feel in relation to the walls or objects around you. Take your time with each sensation.
Write down the the list of 5 pleasant, 5 neutral, and 5 unpleasant. It may have changed once the other senses were explored, so don’t feel like you have to stick with the original 15.
Now ground yourself in the present even further and take 10 deep, long breaths and follow each one on its journey into your lungs and out.
Stay here as long as you need.
This ritual ground you into your environment, calms an irrational or emotion bound mind, and calms the nervous system. It’s prefect for winter because many individuals find the negative mind chatter becomes loudest in these spacious and echoing months. When we remind our mind that the danger is only in its impressive imagination and not actually happening at this moment, we gain so much relief and clarity.
Theses are just some rituals you can do in Early Winter. They can also be done anytime this season to reconnect with the magic of this season.
One day you’re looking in the mirror and you LOVE what you see and who you are… but then you go into work and your boss’s words cause you to feel deflated and your energy drops.
Or you look in your closet and decide that nothing will look good on you today. You wish you could change your whole wardrobe and feel sad that you’re not like so-n-so who has their shit together.
Sometimes we know that just moments ago we were “THEM” the Personified Being of our Dreams, but now we feel plain, meek, and like we’re dragging down our own show.
Self love is an inside job, yes, but it is frequently the most erratic and volatile love we know. One glance at someone else and we’re comparing, judging, and worse, deprecating our selves. This is not Love. This is infatuation and we need to call a spade a spade to find what real self love is.
Real Self Love is Love for our ability to experience “self” in the first place.
Self love is appreciation for the experience of being alive in the world as it is. It is expansive, all encompassing, and ever changing.
Next time you’re feeling like your self love is being manipulated by your mind’s current flavor of thought, I want you to see yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you. Be it your child, your parent, your pet, or even you, 5 minutes ago. Imagine that they see you as a Divine Being that reflects the universe in her every action (you do), who is a conduit for energy (you are), and who can manifest her world based on how she arranges her thoughts (yep).
Tell that inner voice to shut up and intentionally start to remind yourself that:
Your inner beauty is your unique beauty but it’s also the universe’s . Your mind is your mind, but it’s also the universe’s, and your power is your power, but, again, also not yours alone. The only constant is change and you will never be happy if you’re constantly trying to fit a snake back into its old skin or trying to be somebody else who is already occupy the space.
The next time you see yourself in mindset of self deprecation, I want you to try this:
Do something different. Like, WILDLY different. Go for Shock Value.
Switch it up on yourself and on the universe.
Wear something that you wouldn’t be caught dead in (even though its in your closet already…)
Play different music
Take a different route to work or school.
This will derail your mind. It will snap it out of its loop of crap and shift your focus.
Another tactic is to mediate on how your “self love” is actually Self Love.
In many spiritual traditions, the Self is within the self. It is inseparable and does not die but evolves and connects.
There is no point in which you will reach “The Self”. You are the universe manifest. You are here for the experience, not the end goal.
Love is an emotion that is fleeting and ethereal, it can be brought on by thoughts…
Choose to derail the thoughts and bring them towards love more and more, and you will see love show up more and more.
This is a practice that will never cease. Its also a practice that will not leave you worn out but instead will give you peace.
Try one of these methods and tell me your thoughts in the comments.
SUNYATA YOGA 