Sometimes we need to be able to get away from the business and loudness of the outside world and find a space all our own for calming ourselves, re-centering, and focusing our mind. Creating a backyard meditation space can be great for reducing anxiety, helping you relax, elevating your mood, and even helping your body physically heal more quickly!
From the zen sounds of natural running water to the peace brought on by being surrounded by lush greenery, today we’re talking about building a calm backyard meditation space for you to enjoy.
Creating a Backyard Meditation Space
A backyard meditation space can be used as a private retreat to give your body and mind the rest it needs. Meditating in nature has been shown to have direct impacts on mood, lowering blood pressure, reducing symptoms of stress and anxiety, sharpening your mental focus, and even boosting creativity. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a private backyard space to enjoy the benefits of outdoor meditation from the comfort of your own home?
Some elements to building a calm backyard meditation space include:
- Creating a designated meditation space
- Adding water features for calming natural elements
- Surrounding yourself with plants and other landscaping
- Using hardscaping for walking meditation
- Sticking to a limited color palette for calming visuals
Creating a Designated Backyard Meditation Space
It should come as no surprise that the first step in building a calm backyard meditation space is to designate an area for it. While it’s true you can meditate anywhere, creating a designated backyard meditation space gives you a space to go to where you know you can relax, center yourself, and focus on the moment. As creatures of habit, our brains like consistency. Having a designated backyard meditation space lets you get into a meditative mindset more quickly and helps keep your brain from wandering.
Adding Water Features to a Backyard Meditation Space
One of the best ways for building a calm backyard meditation space is with the addition of a water feature installation. There are many different types of water features available to choose from that will fit almost any size yard and budget, so finding one for your space doesn’t have to be difficult. Water features can include styles like backyard fountains to accent beautiful landscaping, pondless waterfalls for a very zen look of a never-ending water stream, or even backyard pond ideas to be a focal point.
For homeowners looking to incorporate elements of Japanese garden water features to boost your meditation, backyard koi pond installations make an ideal option. There are even small pond ideas you can choose from if space is limited. When it comes to building a calm backyard meditation space, there are no set rules. It’s all about adapting to fit your needs and creating an environment in which you can relax and focus your mind.
Having a water feature in your backyard meditation space also helps calm your mind and body from a scientific standpoint. Studies have shown the benefits of natural sounds like running water to deepen relaxation and alleviate stress. For this reason, many homeowners turn to waterfall features for their backyard meditation space, as the gentle splash of running water onto rocks or into a pond installation creates a truly immersive experience.
From a more practical perspective, water features add value to a home, as well. This means they’re ideal additions for creating a calm backyard meditation space you can use now while also bringing up the value of your home should you ever choose to sell.
Plants for Meditation Garden Landscape Design
Continuing on in our exploration of building a calm backyard meditation space, let’s discuss plants. Surrounding yourself with lush greenery can have a wonderfully zen effect. Feeling at ease in your backyard meditation space is the most important element for success. Being surrounded with lush green plants isn’t just calming, but also helps purify the surrounding air and could provide opportunities for shade (trees are greenery, too!). Just be sure to choose plants that will thrive in your area to cut down on maintenance needs so you can relax and unwind.
Another element to consider when adding plants to your backyard meditation space is invoking multiple senses. Sure, plants are beautiful to see, but what about how they smell? You don’t want to overwhelm your senses in a backyard meditation space, but small additions like lavender can improve calm feelings even further.
Hardscaping for Walking Meditation Paths
Not all types of meditation require sitting still. Walking meditation is ideal for some people who enjoy movement while they calm their minds. This brings us to the next idea on our list of ways to build a calm backyard meditation space: hardscaping for walking paths.
Backyard paths are beautiful to see, can serve a practical purpose for navigating your yard, and give you the option for walking meditative exercises in your backyard meditation space. As an added bonus, hardscaping cuts down on the amount of lawn maintenance you need to do, giving you more time to relax and enjoy the surroundings.
Choose a Limited Color Palette for a Backyard Meditation Space
Part of planning a backyard meditation space is knowing how you will fill it. While backyard flower gardens full of vibrant colors are surely beautiful, a more limited color palette is often preferable for facilitating a zen space. Consider sticking to a mostly monochromatic landscape design for chic and utilitarian minimalism when designing your backyard meditation space so you can focus on your exercises, instead.
Pro Tip: Simple landscaping doesn’t have to mean boring! NVS Waterscapes is a division of NVS Landscapes, providing you with the best water feature installation and landscaping services in Albany, Saratoga, Colonie, Schenectady, and the surrounding areas from start to finish! Our professionals will design the backyard meditation space of your dreams.
Building a calm backyard meditation space is all about creating a sense of comfort and relaxation. We hope this guide has inspired you and given you ideas for building your own backyard meditation space. Taking the time to center ourselves and focus on the moment can have immense benefits. When you’re ready, check out the NVS Waterscapes Project Planner to get started with your backyard meditation space plans. Save your ideas or submit them to us and our Capital Region water feature installation professionals will be in touch to give you the meditation space you’ve envisioned.
Want to learn more about how water features can transform your backyard? Check out these resources for ideas and inspiration:
