Meditation and spirituality give us a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves but did you know that meditation can also help you create a communication pathway and a connection with something else living and more tangible like your little green plant friends?
Making a connection with plants
It’s common to acknowledge humans and animals as spiritual beings but so are plants. They are living and breathing creatures that are not solely here for our aesthetic pleasure. For instance, think of the elevated calmness that resonates from these beautiful creatures or their healing properties. Forest bathing and going into nature to experience and take in the essence of the outdoors is another great example of how plants and nature can help us heal.
Being around plants might also help you understand that you are never alone – even when there aren’t any humans around.
Starting with plant meditation
In essence, plant meditation involves incorporating greenery into your meditation or spiritual practice. If you’re now wondering “okay, sounds interesting but how do I do this?”: here are some exercises you can try.
PLANT GAZING
Sit in front of your chosen plant. Regulate your breathing, relax your eyes and soften your gaze. Now imagine the flow of your exhale meeting the plant (which absorbs the carbon dioxide). In return, inhale to receive the oxygen from the plant. Keep on doing this for a while and when a thought or sensation arises: ask for confirmation by repeating the message back to the plant.
The more you practice this plant gazing, the more you open up new pathways and strengthen your ability to listen and communicate.
5 MINUTE MINDFULNESS PRACTICE WITH YOUR PLANTS
This mindfulness practice is also known as A CASA which is an acronym for awareness, connection, acceptance, senses and appreciation. The entire practice only takes 5 minutes in total (1 minute for each part) and you don’t need any special equipment or accessories.
Part 1: Awareness
Start sitting or standing near your plants. Keep your eyes open and bring your attention to your breath: become aware of your breaths current state and how the cycle feels. Then try to slow your breath by making it more intentional: inhale slowly through the nose for at least 4 counts and exhale slowly through the nose for at least 4 counts. Now start to notice your environment including a plant or multiple plants from a wide view. Observe nature’s delicate creation and simply become more aware of the greenery around you.
Part 2: Connection
Once you’re alert and connected with your breath, start to slow down your mind and body to match the breath. Let extraneous thoughts dissipate and allow stillness into your body. Now tune back into the plant from a calm perspective and centered focus. As a living being, notice the life of the plant, another living thing. Think about how you feel right now and how having plants around makes you feel. Do you notice any differences when you’re connected with your plants like now? Perhaps you feel a sense of comfort from caring and nurturing plants?
Part 3: Acceptance
As you notice how the presence of plants makes you feel, begin to zone into one plant, thinking about that individual plant’s progress and how his life has unfolded thus far. Because similarly to human lives, plants experience ups and downs and cycles of growth, healing and even death. With this awareness also comes acceptance. As you become aware that not every leaf is the same, that not every stem is symmetrical and that not every plant is “perfect”, you can begin to garner acceptance which is incredibly important in life as there is so much beyond our control.
Part 4: Senses
Now turn to your senses and run through each sensory experience: notice what you see, hear, feel, smell and taste (but don’t try to eat the plant!!) while staying with your slow controlled breathing. For instance, notice the detailed intricacies in design, patterns, textures, colors and shapes of your plant and truly take it. Do you hear any rustling leaves? Are there any surrounding noices? How does it feel when you run your fingers across a leaf of the plant? Can you smell the plant? If so, does the smell trigger any memories? Maybe the smell leaves a certain taste in your mouth?
Part 5: Appreciation
This final part of the practice is all about expressing gratitude and thinking about the ways that you appreciate plants. Maybe they’re a source of joy for you or you appreciate them because they clean the air, they’re visually pleasing, they’re healing or they provide food and nourishment (but again: don’t try to eat your houseplants unless it’s an edible herb!!).
A STEP-BY-STEP 10 MINUTE PLANT MEDITATION
Sit in a comfortable position with your plant in your lap. Keep your feet flat on the ground or sit cross legged. Make sure you can hold this position for at least 10 minutes. Now find a pattern on your plant to focus on. This will be known as the focal point to guide you through the remainder of the meditation. This focal point can be the start of a vein or the stem or the edge of a petal.
Step 1: close your eyes and imagine your plant as an extension of your body.
Step 2: breathe in deeply for four seconds. As you inhale, picture the air flowing from your nose to your lungs to your heart and then to your plant. Once the air has “reached” the plant, hold for 4 seconds. Exhale through slightly parted lips for four seconds and repeat this inhaling and exhaling at least five times.
Step 3: open your eyes and lightly gaze at the focal point on your plant. Hold your gaze for 30 seconds while continuing to breathe deeply at a comfortable pace. Take note of what you see, what you smell, what you hear and what you feel while you slowly follow the path starting at its focal point without skipping a detail. Get curious about your plant by asking yourself the following: does it curve? Is it jagged? How does it smell? Do the colors change? Does it move at all?
Step 4: for the next few minutes, continue to follow different tracks from different focal points of your plant and ask yourself the questions from step 3.
Step 5: with just a couple minutes remaining, close your eyes and keep the image of your plant in your mind. Thank your plant for guiding you through a moment of peace, quiet, and serenity and gently reflect on your meditation experience. Be sure to also thank yourself for taking some time to connect with your plant and yourself.
A 30 MINUTE LIVING PLANT GUIDED MEDITATION
Seek out a quiet spot near a plant where you would like to meditate with. I recommend you sit with a houseplant for this exercise but you can also find a spot in your yard or at a park or while you’re on a hike.
Before sitting with the plant, ask the plant if you may meditate and communicate with them. Listen for a “yes” or a “no” which can come as a sound, a feeling or an image. If the plant says no, you can seek a different plant or you can try again another day. When the plant says yes, you can begin to settle in. You can start by introducing yourself to the plant and offer gratitude and/or a gift (like water) to show your appreciation. Once you’ve taken the time to do this, you can sit or lie down comfortably with the plant. Proceed by taking a few relaxing breaths and begin to take in the setting where you are and how you feel with the plant in front of you.
Now it’s time to really connect with the plant. You can keep your eyes open while doing this and notice what is in front of you by using your senses (sight, sound, smell and touch). Take a breath in and exhale from your body or heart towards the plant. Then on the inhale you invite the plant into your heart or body. Take your time with this connecting inhaling and exhaling until you feel a connection with the plant. Allow your sensations and emotions to arise without judgement or explaining: hold an open and curious mind and see how the plant speaks to you and what it wants to share or offer. You may close your eyes to make this easier – it can also be helpful to have a pencil and a piece of paper nearby to write down images, ideas or emotions that come to you.
When you are nearing the end, you can begin to wiggle your fingers and toes to help you acclimate yourself to the present again. When you feel complete, thank the plant for sitting with you in meditation and in connection. This is also the perfect time to journal or draw what arose during the meditation.
Do you practice plant meditation? Do you have any tips for people who are just starting out? I would love to read them in the comments below.
©HolisticHappiness2024
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