Gardens are designed, cultivated and maintained to serve a higher purpose that just being eye candies. The Japanese garden, for instance, helps in Zen meditation; it relaxes the senses and takes the mind off concerns that cloud one’s consciousness. The Good Book shows Jesus unloading the burden in his heart in the garden of Gethsemane.

If you think your garden is just a place for you to grow ornamental plants and veggies, think bigger. It shouldn’t just give you the satisfaction of watching your plants in bloom or your lettuce and tomatoes looking ready for the salad bowl.

A garden is a perfect place for reflection and meditation, for relaxation and introspection, a place to nourish one’s peace of mind. Your garden, whether huge or not, is where you explore your self and see the world clearly from beyond your ego.

It is a sanctuary where you can achieve deeper self-understanding and fulfillment, an asylum where you are invulnerable, albeit for a fleeting moment, from the hassles of life. This is where you can find the meaning of your existence.

So how do you create a garden sanctuary?

Make a special entrance that will create a sense of a peaceful environment. What’s inside is essential, but a façade can also be beneficial.

Then think of the colors of the items included, as these will exude different emotions and appeal.

You may integrate water to give you its unique psychological, physical and spiritual effects. Consider putting a pond, a birdbath, a simple fountain, running water or combinations of these.

And you can also add up other elemental representations, such as rocks, wind chimes, as well as lights, to bring out the closest-to-nature garden setting of yours.

Think of your garden as your escape from the rigors of rat race. It should encapsulate nature’s beauty in an orderly landscape, as in a Japanese garden, which uses carefully-raked pebbles to represent the sea, dotted with rocks, a picture of fortitude and calm; highlights the water element with its koi pond and water chimes; and uses bamboo and flowering shrubs, representing the beauty that comes from the earth.

Let your garden be your breathing room where you draw strength and keep your thoughts in good balance. It’s your slice of bliss in a harried world. It’s where you shed your masks and simply be.

A Note From Doctor Cynthia

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