Do Zen Gardens Help With Anxiety?
Amidst the vicious cycle of our busy lives, there has to be something that gives us a moment of peace.
When it comes to dealing with anxiety and stress, a Zen garden is known to be very popular and beneficial. Excessive stress, on the other hand, is harmful to one's health. That's why finding a means to de-stress and unwind is important and should be a priority for everyone.
While it can seem like an expensive and time-consuming investment, the benefits of having a Zen garden outweigh the disadvantages by a long stretch. And just as it can be used at home, a Zen garden is the perfect item for one's office or workspace.
What is a Zen Garden?
Designed for the mind, Zen gardens create a calm, meditative place for those who enter them. Originally, Zen gardens were dry landscapes, with stones being the most important subjects presented. Initially, the purpose of a Zen garden was to be a space for Buddhist monks to meditate and ponder the teachings of the Buddha, but you don't have to be a Zen Buddhist to have one.
What is the philosophy of Zen Gardens?
Zen is a philosophy that was born out of Mahayana Buddhism in the 11th century. It is a way of life that evokes feelings of tranquility. Zen puts less emphasis on ancient religious practices and focuses on meditation, selflessness, and unity in the universe.
The earliest Zen gardens were built by Zen monks to help them with their meditation practice. Drawing from Buddhist, Shinto, and Taoist philosophies, Japanese zen garden design principles strive to inspire peaceful contemplation. Since so much focus is on meditation, Zen gardens were originally created to help the mind calm down and focus.
Installing a Zen Garden itself often has the added benefit of lowering stress, increasing mindfulness, and meditation. Once installed, it does require a certain level of upkeep, but it has been proven that the maintenance involved also has calming effects. All it takes is five minutes each day to reap the benefits of a zen garden.
How do Zen Gardens Work?
Using sand, rocks, pebbles, and sometimes plants, water, or bridges, these gardens evoke calm, tranquility, and peace. Many practitioners find white sand to be the most appealing because it suggests a blank canvas for your Zen garden.
The sand is almost universally accepted as water, and the rake is used to soothe anxiety by creating the effect of ripples. The relaxing effect of raking the sand into swirling patterns helps de-stress, and looking at the lines can help you focus.
Taking care of zen gardens calls for some repetitive actions. Miniature Zen Gardens can also be used simply as interactive home décor pieces because they can create a welcoming and calming atmosphere and be styled differently.
How exactly do Zen Gardens help relieve stress or anxiety?
There are many ways to reduce anxiety, including yoga, exercise, sleep, proper nutrition, and laughter…but sometimes these methods aren’t enough to truly calm or energize us. You may be wondering how a Zen garden fits into that equation. You will soon find out how focusing on repetitive actions is an excellent way to calm your mind and help concentrate on the present moment and positively enjoy the experience.
Looking at a zen garden helps to improve mental health by distracting people from their thoughts and worries as well as calming the mind, which in turn can help to reduce stress and anxiety. Additionally, the act of gardening itself (or creating any type of artwork) can be calming and relaxing, providing an outlet for emotions and helping to improve inner peace and mental well-being.
A Zen garden can be helpful for people who are struggling with anxiety, as it can be difficult to stay in the present moment when anxiety is present. To put it simply, Zen gardens improve mental health overall by offering an easy way to focus on something other than what's making us feel stressed or anxious.
One of the best benefits of Zen gardens is that they provide a sense of peace and serenity. Additionally, the natural beauty of a Zen garden can provide a soothing backdrop that helps to reduce stress levels.
Why Should you Create a Zen Garden?
Imagine mountains and water.
The imagery of these natural wonders projects tranquil feelings that enrich the soul. These artful rock gardens take introspection a step further with the art of representation. Every aspect has a purpose, as rocks and sand help the spectator gain perspective. The more you rake in the zen garden, the more it will contribute to a better sense of wholeness, as well as open your creative mind.
Throughout this mindful practice of zen gardens, new ideas may surge while simultaneously obstructing unwanted thoughts. To work around the anxiety within, think of yourself and your life as a Zen garden. As the rake waves through the sand and curves around the rocks, be fully present in the moment.
What other benefits come with a desktop Zen garden?
Improves Meditation Skills-
The whole process of taking care of the Zen garden can be considered a meditative practice, along with the more common exercise of silent contemplation of the calm environment.
Keep a Zen garden on your desk; it will help remind you to train your meditation skill. Imagine being in that garden, taking care of it, or choosing a concept to focus on, like the idea of impermanence, the absence of self, or dualism. Let any other thoughts pass. Meditation can help you reach a broader perspective and see past what’s in front of you.
Having a Zen garden always available can give you the chance to meditate more than once a day. Whenever you feel the need to take a break, you can focus on your Zen garden and meditate to eliminate any negative thoughts and embrace the positive ones.
Helps Develop a Sense of Beauty-
Kanso: simplicity. Zen garden consists of a few simple decorative elements combined to create beautiful landscapes.
Fukinsei: asymmetrical balance. Half a circle, stones displayed not in a linear way. Fukinsei is the art of creating a relaxing layout without following a precise arrangement of objects.
Yugen: it can be translated with “a subtle grace,” “hidden beauty,” and “mysterious profundity.” A Zen garden isn’t just a garden. The position of the elements may hide a deeper meaning than mere aesthetic design.
Zen gardens, in particular the smaller ones, offer you the chance to rearrange them as many times as you like until you manage to create a stunning pattern. Practicing different layouts in a small area will help you improve your sense of beauty and aesthetics and give you the ability to apply it to every other environment, like a house, office, or even clothing. A Zen garden helps anything transform into something beautiful.
Enhance your Creative Flow-
Working in a Zen garden will stimulate your creativity, and you will learn to see things from different points of view, which is great for problem-solving.
Meditating and practicing mindfulness will increase your ability to produce new ideas and reduce undesirable thoughts during artistic activities. Small or big, the Zen garden will help you express yourself at your best and experiment with new layouts for your structure. Add to your garden some inspirational quotes to read when looking for stimulus.
Helps Increase Focus, Discipline, and Concentration-
Practicing meditation in a Zen garden or taking care of a small garden can improve focus, patience, and self-control. The meditative practice and the repetitive movement you make rearranging the Zen garden will improve your ability to stay on task longer and can even help you fight addictions and improve mindfulness.
Meditation practitioners can also experience lower blood pressure and a stronger immune system. A small Zen garden on the desktop can also work as a reminder to stay concentrated.
“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.” — Shunryu Suzuki
Conclusion
After reading, you may now be able to understand the many benefits of Zen garden. There is no right or wrong way to set up your Zen garden. It is all personal preference, and it is meant to be used regularly rather than set and left for appearance.
Not only will it look pleasing to you, but it will be satisfying to care for. Whenever you feel the need to take a break, you can use your desk garden to relax and let go of any anxiety or bad thoughts.
