How I Practice Mindfulness in the Garden

“I will practice mindfulness when doing every day tasks so that I can be more attuned to negative and self-defeating thought processes and I can actively challenge & replace these with more adaptive, positive thoughts instead.” (Me, in my Mental Health journal, 2024)

I’ve mentioned in my ‘About Me‘ page that I’m a highly-sensitive empath. Being highly-sensitive can be a beautiful thing, as I feel things deeply so that I can have many awe-inspiring spiritual moments in my life. But it also is a frustration because I can be easily triggered by things and end up spiralling in bad thoughts that lead into depression.

I’ve had a few significant moments in my life where the depression trench is so deep that I cannot get out of it alone. The most recent was in 2024. I realized that I couldn’t get out of it alone and that a therapist would be needed (sidenote: I firmly believe that everyone should see a therapist at some season in their life! It’s so helpful and I think the world would be a better place if more people learned about themselves through therapy).

So in 2024, I signed up for a 12 week therapy thing so I could learn some new strategies for managing a good life and preventing bad depression episodes. 

The primary thing this 12 week course focused on was using a daily Mindfulness Practice.

Mindfulness is a practice of deliberately paying attention to the present moment. It’s an excellent tool for breaking Dark Thoughts (aka a ‘negativity spiral’) in your brain and instead focus on present moments of gratitude and joy.

I’ve been reading a lot about mindfulness since I took my 12 week course, and I thought I’d share some of my favorite mindfulness quotes from some authors that I’ve recently read with you here:

“The art of being mindful is simple really. It lies in the practice of being in the present moment, and attempting to hold that attention to whatever you are doing, gently bringing the mind back to the present whenever it starts to wander (which it inevitably does).” (Art Redwood, Mindfulness in Gardening: Meditations on Growing & Nature)

“Consciously savoring the moment is a great tool in enhancing resilience and well-being. By paying more attention to the world around you and how it positively affects your thoughts, your feelings, and your body, you’ll create small pockets of happiness and get more out of daily life.” (Niki Brantmark, Njuta: The Swedish Art of Savoring the Moment)

“In a stressed out, busy world, where there’s a constant demand for our attention, its easy to delay moments of gratification…but it’s the tiny things in life that bring joy – and if you don’t stop to appreciate them, you’ll miss the magic.” (Niki Brantmark, Njuta: The Swedish Art of Savoring the Moment)

There are various ways to practice mindfulness (formal ways include meditation and breathing exercises and informal ways include daily moments where you stop thinking of the past or future and just sit in marvel at the present). 

My favorite informal mindfulness practice is something called the Five Senses Practice. It’s a super simple way to calm down an anxious mind and I try to do this practice whenever I sense a negativity spiral starting to occur in my brain. 

The Five Senses Mindfulness Practice 

Here’s how the Five Senses Mindfulness Practice works. 

Immediately stop whatever you are thinking or doing and instead do this:

1. Find 5 things in your vision (sight)
2. Listen for 4 things (hear)
3. Touch 3 things (touch)
4. Taste 2 things (taste)
5. Smell 1 thing (scent)

Sometimes it’s challenging to do this complete practice in a session. It depends on where I am at the time. For example, when I was about to have a panic attack on an airplane a few weeks ago, I did not have access to 2 things to taste. I just had some mints, so I only tasted one thing. That’s okay.

It mainly matters that I’m attempting to do this 5-4-3-2-1 Senses practice to the best of my ability. Usually, by the time I’ve search for 3 things to touch, my mind has already calmed down and started the shift into focusing on the present moment, which is the whole point of using this Five Senses practice – it’s to snap yourself out of the spiral and admire the moment instead.

The Five Senses Practice in the Garden

While I do use the Five Senses Mindfulness tactic wherever/whenever I need it, I do try to use it daily in my garden as part of my daily mindfulness practice. 

I have always found Joy and Peace in my garden – it has always been a place of Sanctuary for me when I need to recover from the hecticness of Life and People. Adding this mindfulness practice to my daily garden walks just made sense. 

And doing mindfulness practices in nature are particularly powerful and beautiful. Here’s a few garden/nature mindfulness quotes from my favorite authors to inspire you.

“If we practice our gardening with mindfulness and love, we can surely only enhance the quality of life of the plants and creatures with whom we share this planet.” (Art Redwood, Mindfulness in Gardening: Meditations on Growing & Nature)

“When you allow yourself the time to simply sit and watch the rhythm of nature, your mind stills, and you feel immense calm.” (Niki Brantmark, Njuta: The Swedish Art of Savoring the Moment)

“In both a literal and a figurative way, a garden can help us come to our senses. When we step into our gardens, we are submerged in sights, smells, sounds, and textures…A garden gives us a chance to remain silent and alone with our feelings, to empty the mind of past in order to experience more fully the present moment.” (Connie Goldman & Richard Mahler, Tending the Earth, Mending the Spirit: The Healing Gifts of Gardening)

I have seriously been blown away by how much more I notice and appreciate in my garden since I started doing mindfulness practices in nature. I’m soaking in the present moments more and more – becoming more in awe of textures, scents, colors, and everything else. And the more in awe I am of my garden, the more my troubles melt away. 

Now, both the garden and mindfulness practice work together to help me find daily joy. It has been a beautiful journey. While I’m not promising that you’ll have the same dramatic results as me, I do firmly believe that everyone should start practicing some sort of mindfulness activities in nature.

Join Me in a Picture Tour of a Five Senses Mindfulness Practice in My Garden

When I do this Five Senses Mindfulness Practice in my garden, I usually start with a slow stroll along my garden paths and finish by sitting on my garden bench. I savor the moment. I do not think about the time and what needs to be done next. No, instead I put my phone away. This is my mental health checkup for the day. Chores, work, Time…they do not matter right now.

Next, I start wandering slowly throughout the garden. 

What are Five Beautiful Things that I See?

(1) I marvel at the Swallowtail  caterpillars  eating my fennel – a plant that I grew for this very purpose…to bring in a healthy balanced ecosystem.

(2) I see the multitude of beautiful colors and textures from all the flowers that I planted -the various shades of purple, pink, white, red, yellow, and more.

(3) I admire the beauty of adult butterflies feeding on my flowers and fluttering around me. I count how many I see at the moment – I’ve seen as many as 23 in one setting before.

(4) I smile at the vision of my precious puppy surrounded by the soft glow of evening primrose “weeds” in the garden path.

(5) I discover a beautiful shaded spot in my garden where the mushrooms grew after a recent rain. The way that the shade and sunlight played off each other was intensely beautiful and it was a sacred moment.

What are Four Lovely Things that I Hear?

I hear…bird song, humming bees, cicadas and crickets, and the flapping of wings from a nearby bird.

Each sound reminds me to be grateful and joyful because the work I put into this garden is clearly creating a healthy ecological location that provides for many birds, animals, and insects. 

What are Three Wondrous Things I Can Touch in My Garden?

(1) I touch the flaky buds of my hops plants. They have dry parts that are fun to crush in my hands. It leaves a slightly sticky feel and the fragrant scent of hops fill the air.

(2) I feel the silky smooth petals of a beautiful zinnia flower. I admire the almost hypnotic patterns of the flower petals and marvel that such a delicate-feeling thing can make such a wonderful positive impact on the environment and my soul.

(3) I feel the weight of a large harvest of Coreopsis flowers in my hands. I feel their stiff stems and feel the silky delicate yellow petals. I feel the pollen grit between my hands. I feel the joyful smile on my face as I relish this sunny joyful harvest.

What are Two Delicious Things I Can Taste From My Garden?

(1) I pinch off the tops of one of my abundant lemon balm plants. I put tiny pieces in my mouth at a time, swishing it around in my mouth to fully taste the earthy lemony taste of my lemon balm. Lemon balm tastes of late-spring evenings, curled up on my back porch with a tall glass of lemon-balm lemonade and my hubby and puppy by my side. 

(2) In the spring, I taste a raw pea, picked right from the vine. In the summer, I taste a tomato, still warm from the sun. In the fall and winter, I nibble on my favorite – arugula, and I relish every bite. I am constantly grateful for the opportunity to grow my own vegetables and I try to savor at least one thing fresh from the garden every day.

What Is One Sensual Scent that I Can Smell From My Garden?

(1) In the spring, I smell my hyacinths. They are my favorite flower and I love to lay on the ground next to them and just smell them from a while. In the summer, I love to scrunch up my hops to capture the smell. In the autumn, I love to cup goldenrod in my hands and smell their earthy, honey scent. In the winter, I love to smell my roses.

There’s so many things to delight over in the garden – things to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. Gardening is absolutely the perfect way to do the Five Senses Mindfulness Practice. I hope you enjoyed seeing bits of my garden and I hope you try doing this in your own garden, too!

More Ways to Practice Mindfulness In The Garden

There are countless ways to practice mindfulness in the garden. Perhaps the Five Senses Practice isn’t your thing though….well, no worries, there are lots of other ways to relish the moment in your garden.

Here are some more ways to practice mindfulness in the garden:

Sensory Awareness

Instead of the Five Senses Practice, simply focus on one of the sense at a time. Put more of your focus into that one thing.

• Notice the texture of soil between your fingers as you dig into the soil or weed your plants
• Listen for birdsong, wind in leaves, or buzzing insects without trying to identify them
• Breathe in scents slowly (like earth after rain, or aromatic herbs or flowers) and simply observe them
• Watch how light moves through the leaves, creating shadows and dancing light
• Go out into your garden in the early morning and admire the dew droplets on certain leaves

Intentionally Slow Tasks

Rushing around in the garden is sure to put you in a stress-heavy mood. Stop thinking about anything and simply work SLOW in the garden. Take your time. Ignore everything else.

• Weed your garden with your full attention, treating each pull as a complete act
• Water plants slowly (consider watering things by hand for the day) and observe how water moves through soil and beads on leaves
• Deadhead flowers one at a time, appreciating each bloom before letting it go
• Plant seeds deliberately, feeling the weight and size of each one

Breathing & Grounding

Taking deep breaths and/or doing a grounding visualization works wonders for your mental health. I strongly recommend.

• Take three deep breaths before starting any gardening task
• Walk barefoot on grass or soil to feel physically connected to the earth
• Pause mid-task and simply sit, observing what’s alive and moving around you

Non-Judgmental Observation

This is an excellent practice for learning compassion and empathy, as well as focusing on something in the present moment.

• Study a single plant or insect for a few minutes without labeling it “good” or “bad”
• Notice imperfections like a yellowing leaf or an irregular shape, and look with curiosity instead of concern
• Accept what has died or failed without frustration; compost it and move on

Routine Rituals

One way to help your mental health is by creating a new healthy ritual for your daily life. Trying new routines helps keep your brain from going into the negativity spiral and helps you stay aware of your surroundings and the present moment.

• Begin each garden session with a slow walk around to “check in” rather than immediately working
• End with a few minutes of stillness, acknowledging what grew and what you tended
• Keep a simple nature journal, even if you just add one sentence about what you noticed that day
• Try new routines and rituals with your garden. Things like: sip your coffee on your garden bench today. Or play some music and dance in the garden paths. Do yoga in your garden today. Eat your lunch in the garden. Etc.

Final Thoughts on Mindfulness in the Garden

I really do hope that this post helps you consider ways to practice mindfulness. There will always be stresses in our lives, but the present moment can be full of such amazing things if you learn to actually Look and stop your brain from wandering. 

If you need more encouragement for finding Joy in your garden, I hope you check out these articles, too:

• Finding Joy in the Garden in Summer
• Finding Joy in the Garden in Winter
• The Benefits of Gardening: A Gardener’s Reflection
• Finding Joy in the Garden in Fall: Dealing with Harvest Overwhelm
• How to Prevent Weeds from Stealing Your Gardening Joy
• Maybe I’m a Witch Hazel: Reflections on Winter
• The Insanity of Spring: A Gardener’s Reflection