If you want to have a new space for relaxation and harmony in your home, even if you don’t have too much space or a large park, you can have a Zen garden, which in addition to being very beautiful, will invite you to relax, meditate and fill yourself with positive energy.
Zen gardens are a style of dry Japanese garden that use sand, rocks and other natural elements such as mosses, as well as some decorative elements such as small statues. As they do not have a water source, they have the advantage of being able to be created both in a large garden, and indoors in a container or a small wooden container. You can have your zen garden inside the house.
Visually, the sand they have has traced waves that represent the sea and, like it, invite contemplation, meditation and serenity. The stones represent the mountains and the moss represents the forest. As a whole, this garden represents the universe and there is nothing more that is needed. In this sense, they reflect the Zen philosophy, which upholds austerity and simplicity.
Unlike others, these gardens are not built to walk on them, but to admire them, as if they were works of art that represent the Universe. That, from Zen Buddhism, invites long moments of meditation to clarify the mind and achieve harmony.
These gardens used to be made in great temples, as well as in homes and inns, to remind the beholder that life can be elemental and simple. For this reason, some of the first gardens were called “zazen-seki” or “meditation rocks”, because their only objective was to emanate tranquility and silence to the observer.
You can apply these principles yourself in your own home, applying simplicity, austerity and connection with the universe from your own garden. Learn how to do it here.
- Fine sand or gravel
- Wooden boards or plates or container
- Saw, hammer and nails
- Plastic or other waterproof material the size of the container
- Stones and/or other elements such as mosses or logs
- Rake
Process
1. Take the measurements of the size you want to make your zen garden.
2. Build a container with boards or planks of wood and nails. You can also buy it if you want it very small or you don’t have time to build it yourself.
3. Line the bottom of the container with a waterproof material such as plastic that you can reuse.
4. Fill it with sand or fine gravel.
5. Put stones and other elements of vegetation, such as moss or logs.
Note: It is recommended that the rocks are arranged in groups of three, in straight lines or in symmetrical patterns; that are not brightly colored; and always keep simplicity and balance in mind.
6. Using a rake, trace patterns on the sand surface. They can be lines, circles or symmetrical figures.
Clever! Start taking advantage of it with these 7 positions with the fingers of your hands that will help you connect and circulate the energy. Enjoy the nature!
You can also make small indoor zen gardens like these that you can see here, for the interiors of your home, or in case you don’t have a garden. The procedure and benefits are the same. Try it!