Mind your sacred Garden
This past summer, my wife Nat and I ambitiously started a garden. We cleaned up an abandoned greenhouse on our landlords property and planted the basics: tomatoes, peppers, assorted greens, and a bunch of flowers. The space quickly grew into our little sanctuary.
Then, we took our boys on a 10-day camping trip. When we got back, the garden looked like a post-apocalyptic scene. Weeds had taken over, a bunny friend had a field day with our veggies, and a swarm of grasshoppers had invaded the greenhouse. Plus, the lack of watering nearly killed everything we were growing. Yikes! As we began cleaning up the garden and pulling the new weeds, I couldn’t help but recognize the parallels between this overtaken garden and an unattended mind.
Our minds are sacred gardens and we are its caretakers.
When we are intentional with our thoughts, we are actively caring for this sacred space. The choices we make every single day are influenced by the habitual stories we tell ourselves. If we are not intentional with what we nurture in our gardens, we leave room for weeds to sprout up in the soil of our minds and consequently grow into the habits that shape our lives. It is undeniable: what we choose to focus on and cultivate in our mind will grow and mature into something… good, true, worthy of celebrating and life-giving…or something bad, not true, and life-stealing.
The mind is so powerful. With enough time and practice, it will accept anything we tell it as truth. That’s both incredible and terrifying. The truth is, our thought life has the power to kill or give life–and yet most of us have no method of filtering what goes into our minds. If there ever was a time to consider how our thinking is shaping our lives–it is right now.
The question isn’t, “are you nurturing your mind?” but rather, “what is nurturing your mind?”
To be a light in this world and to lead a life we truly want to experience, we take our thoughts captive and prune them so that they align with truth and correlate with reality. When you nurture your mind, your life flourishes…just like a beautiful garden. If you want to form habits of thinking that bless your life and subsequently bless the lives of those around you–you need a practice that nurtures the sacred garden of your mind.
In the remainder of this post I share three important components of mindfulness and an easy step-by-step practice you can try. (This is not an all encompassing guide to mindfulness just the tip of the iceberg)
Three Components of Mindfulness
Here are three components of mindfulness that I use daily. They can be practiced simultaneously, in sequence, or individually:
Practice Solitude: Mindfulness involves cultivating present-moment awareness. Stepping away from life’s distractions for a moment of solitude enhances your ability to recenter your mind and be present. Solitude is the active practice of removing distractions: no phones, no emails, no work, no food, no to-do list, no feeding the kids, no walking the dog—no multitasking. This first component of mindfulness is the necessary warm-up that cultivates a mind capable of being present in any circumstance.
Practice Stillness: Making time for moments of stillness provides powerful benefits for your mental state. Through meditation, prayer, intentional breathing, and actively listening to your body, you strengthen the quality of stillness. The key is to focus on what is within your control. Stillness, much like solitude, reduces external stimulation. The difference is that you can practice stillness in any environment—even the busiest of places. Being still allows time and space for self-reflection and soothing the nervous system. Stillness is not about checking out and being numb; it’s about reducing stress by slowing down. It may seem counterintuitive, but slowing down allows us to become aware of the noise within our minds so we can decide how we will move forward.
Practice Reflection: Setting aside time to reflect on past actions, current priorities, and future goals helps you move forward with clarity. It increases self-awareness and attunes you with your body, emotions, thoughts, and spirit. Reflection time is not for judgment but for measuring and aiding your positive growth. Intentionally framing your reflections to see and document your gains throughout your day is important. Journaling is my preferred method of reflection. This third component helps you gain perspective and supports your future growth in the direction you want to go.
Simple Daily Breathing Exercise for Mindfulness
One easy way to start practicing mindfulness is to incorporate a short breathing exercise into your day. The aim for this exercise is to simply slow down and become aware of our thoughts. Here's one way we can do it: Step 9 is where the magic happens.
Find a Quiet Space: Choose a quiet, comfortable place where you won't be disturbed. It can be a corner of your home, a spot in your garden, or even a peaceful park bench.
Sit Comfortably: Sit down in a comfortable position. You can sit cross-legged on the floor, in a chair with your feet flat on the ground, or in any position that allows you to relax while staying alert.
Close Your Eyes: Gently close your eyes to minimize distractions.
Center on Your Breathing: Start by taking a few deep breaths, inhaling deeply through your nose, and exhaling slowly through your mouth. Then, allow your breathing to settle into its natural rhythm.
Observe Your Body: Pay attention to the sensation of your breath as it enters and leaves your nostrils. Notice the rise and fall of your chest or abdomen with each breath. Notice any tension you are holding in your body and release it.
Flow Through Resistance: As your mind starts to wander, gently bring your focus back to your breathing.
Practice for a Few Minutes: Begin with just 3 minutes a day. Set a timer if that helps. Gradually increase the time as you become more comfortable with the practice.
End with Gratitude: When you're ready to finish, take a few deep breaths, open your eyes, and take a moment to appreciate the time you've spent nurturing your mind.
Pull the Weeds: Take a few minutes to reflect on what came to mind during this breathing exercise and write them down in a journal. As you read through your thoughts, ask yourself: Is this thought true? Is it good? Is it beneficial? Is it kind? Is it worth celebrating? If you encounter any negative, unhelpful, or discouraging thoughts, consciously replace them with true, positive, and encouraging ones. Remember, you get to decide what you will dwell on internally.
Here’s a real-life example from my practice this morning: "I suck at communicating what I believe." I decided to counter this thought with, "The more I practice, the better I will get at communicating what I believe." Notice I’m not replacing this negative thought with an unrealistic positive affirmation like, "I’m a great communicator!" Instead, I’m choosing an active statement that is true, encouraging, and supports growth. This process helps cultivate a mindset that fosters resilience and optimism.
Developing a consistent and sustainable mindfulness practice brings more peace, more clarity, more joy, and more life into our lives. Remember, practicing mindfulness is a process that will take time. When practiced consistently, it plays a significant, often unseen role in maintaining our mental stability—much like the invisible growth that comes from consistently watering a seed planted beneath the surface. But as the saying goes, “the day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.” So remain patient with your practicing. When we step away from life’s distractions to capture our thoughts and nurture our minds with truth, we transform our thinking. For certain, we can form new patterns of thinking by reflecting on old habits and choosing to practice new ways of living.
So, mind your sacred garden—pull the weeds and cultivate a resiliently peaceful mind.
With radical intention,
- Sammy
“What consumes your thoughts controls your life.” - Creed
