The Uniqueness Of Your Garden Meditation Space

The simple process of creating the meditation garden is unique. It is personal and leads you through discovery. It is a part of your own spiritual journey so there is a pretty good possibility that your garden meditation space is going to be much different than someone else’s. You will be tempted to hold on to older items though. This is not necessarily a good idea, even if there is a strong connection present at a personal level.

An Expansive Meditation Garden

People think that the meditation garden has to be really expansive and include various different Feng Shui or Zen elements. This is incorrect. Most of the great gardens are actually very small. The only thing is that you have to be sure you give out the illusion of space as you create textures and layers.

You may want to consider building paths if you can since this allows walking meditation as you move towards the area designed for your practice. See if there are some vegetables and fruits that you love and that you would add since this normally creates a good connection. Do not opt for something glamorous. It is sometimes great to have a garden that has a double purpose.

Engaging Senses

Gardens have a natural stress-reducing and healing property. According to research, the best meditation is the one that is achieved in gardens that manage to engage senses. The garden basically has to put you in touch with you and what is around you. This is why you so often see nature added to the very best healthcare facilities in the world. For instance, in a garden you will often see a large boulder that practitioners touch before the session starts. This is to entice touch.

Flowers

In garden meditation spaces you so often get to see roses. This is because of how great they are for most people as they offer a sense of calmness. Adding plants is pretty obvious but what plants you add will be based on your own personal experience and wishes. It is important to have flowers that smell well but that are appreciated by you. If you just add the first flowers you find there is a good possibility you will not feel great while meditating.

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Here are my top 5 tips for avoiding back problems whilst gardening:

1) Warm up before gardening

Remember, gardening is exercise – so prepare for it how you would any other physical activity.

Before you put on your gardening gloves, take five minutes to stretch your arms, shoulders, back and legs. Don’t rush into each stretch, take your time to make each position and the hold each for around 15 seconds.

2) Garden in positions that are comfortable for you

Do not hunch or bend your back or overstretch whilst working. If what you’re doing is causing you physical discomfort, you should stop doing it. Change your position to find one that works for you – perhaps sitting on a stool (or bucket) whilst gardening makes it easier for you, or using a potting bench to raise your potted plants to chest-height so you can work standing up. This is doubly-import when lifting things in the garden – a good Landscape Gardener will use proper lifting techniques to avoid serious back injury.

To correctly lift an object, stand before it with feet shoulder-width apart. Then, bending your knees and keeping your back perfectly straight, take a firm hold of the object and lift with your legs, not your back.

3) Spend short periods doing one job then move on

Instead of slaving away at a particularly tough and time consuming job, try to spend around 15 minutes on it before moving onto another task which uses different muscle groups. You can always return to the job later in the day.

For instance, if you have been on your knees or working on the ground for 15 minutes, change to a job which involves standing up. By pacing yourself in such a way you can avoid overexerting yourself and causing damage to your muscles/back.

4) Use long-handled tools to avoid bending

You can buy long-handled versions of most gardening tools these days. Long-handled tools enable you to perform all gardening tasks without having to bend down or crawl around on your knees, causing potential damage to your back. Another advantage is the extra leverage provided by the handles means you need less effort to break through tough soil.

Ensure you choose the right length tool for your height. Or, you could always purchase a tool with a telescopic handle which can be tailored to your size.

5) Don’t over-work yourself

Gardening should be a pleasure and something you look forward to, not a chore. If you try to tackle all the heavy-duty jobs at once, you may overexert yourself and increase the chance of you injuring your back. Instead, take a break every hour to enjoy the day and savour the little slice of Heaven you’ve created in your garden. Have a cup of tea with biscuits and read the paper.

If you’re feeling tired, stop working. Always keep in mind that you may have to clear your tools and refuse from the garden at the end of the day, so keep enough energy to perform that task comfortably.

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Greenhouse Winter Heating & Blocking Up Leaks

If you’re thinking about growing crops during the wintertime, you may need to heat up the interiors of your greenhouse. To reduce the strain your heaters experience, simply follow these easy tips and techniques in the future:

• Look for gaps where hot air can easily escape out.
• Install a thermal screen to prevent heat loss at night.
• Ensure the louvers on your fan aren’t bent out of shape.
• Install insulating board around the greenhouse’s perimeter.
• Paint the north wall white to prevent further heat loss.

With all of these measures in place, you’ll find that your greenhouse actually retains higher temperatures for a lot longer. This means that you won’t have to rely on the heaters you’ve installed and can thus reduce your electricity bills.

Power Consumption & Tech Upgrades

Of course, there are plenty of other ways in which you can stop consuming so much electricity in the greenhouse. Here are some of the most common techniques that you can use:

• Opt for a ventilation system that has a high “ventilation efficiency ratio”.
• Upgrade your lighting to something that is more environmentally friendly.
• Add reflectors to your lights to reduce the number of bulbs required
• If your greenhouse has a motor, make sure that it’s not too large.
• Clean your fans as excess dust adds weight and consumes more power.
• Keep an eye on your control systems so you can spot issues as they arise.

By staying on top of all the above matters, you can drastically reduce your electrical consumption without sacrificing your yield.

Fertiliser & Composting By Yourself

Regardless of the size of your greenhouse, the fertiliser that you use will ultimately add up to be quite costly. This is especially true if you’re growing crops throughout the year whether you own a couple of grow tents or a fully-fledged glasshouse. Of course, there’s an easy way around this particular predicament; simply make the compost on your own. Whenever you are preparing meals, keep all of the vegetable scraps and place them in the compost bin outside. You can even add items such as egg shells and coffee grounds that you would otherwise throw out. In this way, you can stop spending money on fertiliser and opt for an alternative that’s free. You’ll also help the environment since you’re recycling your home garbage as well.

Pesticides & Living with Nature

Lastly, you may be spending needless amounts of cash on pesticide to help eliminate those pesky creepy-crawlies. The problem here is that some of these “pests” can actually help the survival of your greenhouse plants. Instead of killing every insect that you see, take some time to find out which ones are useful. You might end up boosting your crop as a result.

Spraying everything with pesticide also makes it likely that you consume some of these chemicals in the future. After all, you’re eating the crops that you spray. Instead, save your cash and simply learn to live with the bugs. The vast majority of them aren’t harmful anyway, so there’s no point in poisoning your flora just to get rid of the few that may cause some damage.

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So you need that extra space, but do not have sufficient room in your home? This is where the beauty of garden rooms can assist.

Firstly there are three main factors to look at when deciding on the garden studio design.

1)      Set yourself a budget to work with.

2)      Choose your width.

3)      Choose your depth.

Once you have decided on this you can plan your garden room design and usage for your new project.

The Garden Office

Perhaps the most popular usage for garden rooms is the garden office. What with the rise of people nowadays working from home and the requirements to be able to fulfil ones daily working routine for their chosen profession. Incorporate your garden room office with all the equipment you need whether it be phone and internet lines, computers, fax machines and office furniture. The garden office can be your workplace from home the whole year round.

The Garden Gym

Need to go to the gym but have not the time due to a busy work schedule? Then why not invest in a garden room gym. Staying healthy is an important aspect in one’s life both physically & mentally but if due to various commitments it is just not possible to attend the gym on a regular basis then the garden gym can help eradicate this problem leaving you time to exercise in the comfort of your own home.

The Music Garden Studio

If music is your passion but noise within your property a problem with neighbours and fellow household members then why not set up a music garden studio.

Whether it be for acoustic/band practice or music production you can be assured that the music garden studio will provide you with the comfort that you will not annoy or interrupt anybody else whilst you get creative with your musical enjoyment. Also why rent studio time when you can have your own studio at home.

The Children`s Garden  Studio

So the kids a having friends around for a party, rather than letting them loose throughout the house breaking valuable household belongings let them show off to their friends that they have their own place to play in the house. Set it up with game consoles, televisions, a snooker table and whatever else they love to play with.

The benefit with this is the house always stays how you want it, the noise is minimal and that you the parent know they are only a few steps away at all times. Furthermore the grownups can venture down there when the kids are out or asleep to relive their youth.

The Dining Garden Studio

If you like entertaining why not create your very own dining studio in the garden for them long summer nights. You to could be in the garden preparing dinner whilst joining in with the conversation with friends and family and have the satisfaction of constantly being involved with proceedings.

Why not kit out the studio with all the mod cons you require from hobs, ovens, and a dining table and chairs. This will enable you to provide a wonderful dining experience for your guests whatever the weather at any time of the year. Also for the late night dinner parties when the children are asleep upstairs in bed.

All of these garden rooms can be constructed with minimal time and fuss to suit each individual requirement.

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There are a whole host of reasons as to why garden walls can really enhance the overall look of your outdoor space and give it added value. First and foremost, they can make your garden look a lot bigger. This is because by playing around with different levels you add another dimension and make the best use of the area. If you were to merely have your garden and a big fence around the side then you would enclose the area. However, if you were to add more height and levels within the garden then you actually make the area look bigger than it is.

Garden walls are also a great option because they add a wealth of character and style to your garden. Whilst flowers can add a prettiness and colour, it is the permanent structures that lend in the sleek and fashionable aspect to the garden. After all, you can choose between a vast array of materials, such as stone, brick and metal. There are some gorgeous styles available and therefore you can choose between different textures and colours. If you are going to do a small feature wall then you can be even more elaborate and go for a unique material, even something like marble or tile would work really well if utilised around a BBQ area.

In addition to this, walls present you with the opportunity to do more and make more of your outside area. You can create steps up towards your grass area – this is something which looks great and adds a wealth of personality. Moreover, you can use walls in order to create a space for flower beds. This is something which looks fantastic because your flowers will be on a heightened level and thus their beauty will be enhanced. It is also worth noting that you will find gardening a lot easier when you do not have to bend down all of the time.

A final point worth noting is that building a garden wall is actually a lot more cost effective than having to go out and buy things such as planters in order to enhance your garden. After all, the cost of the latter all adds up and thus it is worth building a wall from scratch.

All things considered, if you really want to get the most out of your garden then you should seriously consider the prospect of building garden walls. By doing this you will benefit from more space, more style and more personality.

Author: Alisha Smith – Follow her on Google+.

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