Meditation has been practised for thousands of years, having been originally used to deepen the understanding of life. Although, modern research has illustrated the benefits that meditation has on the mind, body and soul. Spending as little as a few minutes meditating, can restore your calm, reduce anxiety, leaving you in a feeling of inner peace. Meditation is focusing your attention on the breath, and in doing so eliminating the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind, causing stress.

Photo, Sarah Ball.

While you can practice meditation almost anywhere, there is nothing quite like sitting back and relaxing in your own meditation space. Finding inner peace as you sink back into a chair, listen to the sounds of running water, with the breeze blowing through the trees.

Here are a few tips to turn your backyard into a beautiful place to rest, relax and rejuvenate.

Surround Yourself with Nature: The use of nature and an outdoor space with meditation has demonstrated major health benefits. Some yogi’s believe that it is easier to practice mindfulness when you are outdoors, immersed in and listening to the soothing sounds of nature. Surrounding your self with plants can leave you with an enhanced sense of energy and a better mood. Create your own forest or jungle with trees, vines, flowers and shrubs, but make sure that they are adapted to the climate you live in.

Turn your room into a Buddhist temple: If the weather is not nice and you can’t meditate outside you can turn your room into a wholesome space for meditation. If you don’t have a full room to spare a corner of your bedroom can work fine. Decorations should be minimal and not distracting so you can fully commit to your meditation. A few meaningful images and trinkets are enough to help you achieve calmness. Also, fragrances play a major part in our overall mood, so it’s a good idea to light up a few incense sticks. Incense sticks like Nag Champa that have a strong earthy smell and were historically used in Buddhist temples. They will give you the final push needed to achieve inner peace.

Add a Water Feature: Buddhist tradition believes water to be a symbol of serenity, purity and clarity of thought. Water is known to be a great tool of mindfulness with the sound and feel providing many health benefits. We are often drawn to water, it serves as a guide to meditate the soothing imagery, as well as the sounds of trickling water, helps with binaural rhythms of the body. A way to bring water to your backyard is to install a water feature from SoothingCompany.com. See how the calming water drowns out the noises of the city, turning your backyard into your very own meditation sanctuary.

Photo, Arno Smit.

Create Privacy: Meditation is about being present in the moment and while sometimes it’s nice to have a chat with your neighbours, having the ability to shut off from the rest of the world can be an important part the process. There are many ways you can create privacy, from fences to garden walls to lattices to layered plants. Not only will this will increase your privacy, but it will help to block out noise, leaving you to meditate n peace.

Comfortable Seating: The beauty of meditation is that it can be done anywhere. Whether you like to practice walking meditation or seated, it is nice to a few places to choose from. Depending on your yard, you can choose between numerous furniture designs, from a garden bench by the water feature, to a day bed under the awning, to a cushion by your favourite tree. Meditation is about being still and watching the world go by, this is much easier to do it you are comfortable.