Gifts From the Garden

By on March 20, 2009 in Food & Nutrition, Meditation, Spirituality

As a child in Ohio, I gardened with my grandmother learning of the cycles and seasons of life.  As I ate my sandwich made from a tomato that I planted, watered, nurtured and picked, I came to appreciate the fruitful rewards of hard work, patience, nurturing, weeding and pruning. I still garden every year, and it has become a ritual to plant my tomatoes.

The first day of Spring begins this season in my life in when I work with my hands in the soil, smell the fresh seedlings, feel the sun warm my body and try my hand in nurturing the cycle of life.  I encourage you to discover the life renewing benefits of gardening.  Whether you’re planting flowers and shrubs or fruits and vegetables, gardening is a great way to renew your spirit!

The fruits of your labor will yield . . .

  • Connection:  Connecting with mother earth helps us experience the balance that’s necessary for sustaining our planet and our soul and diminishes daily stressors. Feel the sunlight soak into your body, hear the birds chirping, feel the wind refresh your spirit, fill your lungs with fresh air, and admire the perfectly colored petals of nature while gardening.

  • An Escape: Gardening helps us disconnect from our dizzying techno lives. As you’re giving a boost to your garden, weeding, watering and planting, you’re also doing the same for your mental health. Actively working in a garden also produces endorphins and serotonin giving a boost to your mood.

  • Creative Freedom: Gardening gives you the creative freedom make your home a haven from stress. Surround yourself with stunning landscapes or nature sounds to create a place for quite meditation, contemplation and relaxation.

 I often wonder if my grandmother knew the gift she was giving me as she and I worked under the hot summer sun. I know she’d be pleased that in my own small way I’m passing this gift on.

Blessings,
Kathleen
 

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About kathleen.hall

Dr. Kathleen Hall, internationally recognized stress and work-life balance expert, is the founder and CEO of The Stress Institute®, The Mindful Living Network® and Alter Your Life®. Dr. Hall’s life’s work is to teach others how to reduce stress by learning how to live a sustainable, balanced life of true happiness through mindful living. Combining research based medical models with universal spiritual practices, she has developed a life-altering stress reduction and lifestyle program she calls, “Where Science Meets the Soul®.”

During times of stress and crisis, the international television and print media consistently seek the authoritative knowledge, information and direction of Dr. Kathleen Hall. Dr. Hall's advice has been featured by all the major national media including NBC's The Today Show, Oprah & Friends, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, CNN Paula Zahn Now, CNN Headline News, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN International, FOX, ESPN.com, Good Morning America Radio, Martha Stewart Radio, Fortune, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Money Magazine, Business Week, Parents, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, Body + Soul, and Woman’s Day.

Dr. Hall is the Author of A Life in Balance: Nourishing the Four Roots of True Happiness (AMACOM, January 2006) and Alter Your Life: Overbooked? Overworked? Overwhelmed? (Oak Haven, April 2005) and a new book in Fall 2009.

Dr. Hall is a contributing writer for PINK Magazine. She is also the Global Ambassador for the Unilever/Knorr Soup Campaign - Eat Soup, Live Healthy; World thought leader to Fortune 500 Corporations; Electronic Arts spokesperson (Pogo.com); Darden Restaurant spokesperson, Tempur-Pedic spokesperson. Martha Stewart Publications coined her the "Stress Queen."

Dr. Hall earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Jacksonville State University, a Masters of Divinity from Emory University and a Doctorate in Spirituality from Columbia Theological Seminary. Her diverse background includes study with medical pioneer’s Dr. Dean Ornish of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute and Dr. Herbert Benson at the Harvard Mind/Body Institute as well as illustrious Nobel Peace Prize recipients including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Bishop Desmond Tutu and President Jimmy Carter. 

She lives on her horse farm where her family rescues animals.  She loves her flower and vegetable gardens and enjoys canning her foods.

More information about Dr. Kathleen Hall can be found at www.drkathleenhall.com,  www.stressinstitute.com , and www.mindfullivingnetwork.

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One Response to Gifts From the Garden

  1. yumi March 20, 2009 at 10:37 am #

    Gardening sounds wonderful. I live in an apartment, but thankfully my boyfriend has a backyard! We just might start doing some gardening for the first time this year together on weekends. :)