Its that time of year again – window boxes.
Whether you decide to buy ready made boxes or make up your own, they really do add colour and vitality to the outside of your home, not to mention the therapeutic effects for you and anyone visiting your home.
This window box consists of Marigolds and Pansies. I made it up myself using:
- Window Box – available in Discount Stores, Homestores or Gardening Shops.
- Compost Peat
- Set of 6 grown flowers ready to bloom
- Small trowel
- Water
So, about the therapeutic effects, well first of all just being outdoors itself and in the garden working with the earth and the fresh air is great for the mind, body and spirit.
We hear continuously about “Mindfulness”, well I know that when I was planting this box (and four others), I was most definitely in the moment. I was even kneeling on the ground doing so and as such a lot of grounding took place. It is all too easy to keep rushing and “too-ing and fro-ing” in our busy world today. Gardening helps us to connect to Mother Earth.
Even if you are not able to or in a position to do any gardening, it is still possible to ground yourself very easily everyday.
Here is a simple exercise:
- Stand (in your bare feet if possible) on the ground somewhere safe, indoors or outdoors, preferably grass or earth if you can.
- Make sure you are standing up straight with your shoulders down. Arms and hands pointing downwards to the earth.
- Close your eyes, imagine that you are a tall and proud tree, whichever type of tree reasonates with you – oak, birch, horse chestnut etc.
- Focus on your feet, imagine that roots are growing out from underneath your two feet, getting longer and longer, pushing their way further and further down through the ground and the earth below you. Visualise them going all the way down to middle earth (very Lord of the Rings!) and then wrapping themselves around a very bright sparkling red crystal.
- You will immediately feel yourself very stable and grounded.
Try this a few times, daily if you can and whenever you feel powerless or overcome by a situation.
Feel free to drop a comment on this post or contact us to let us know how you got on with the exercise.