5 Tips on a Zen Garden ...

Cover the Zen garden spot with sand or small gravel. Both of these types of medium are fine enough that even the lightest rake can be used to move them about. You want to choose something that can be manipulated in a therapeutic manner. If you have to sweat and grunt while you are raking your Zen garden, then you might not be getting the full benefits of having one in the first place.

Traditional Zen gardens are usually tended with wooden rakes and these garden spots have a general layout that is very similar to one another. The gravel or fine sand is supposed to represent an ocean, while larger rocks represent islands. Since Zen gardens are also referred to as Dry Gardens, they don’t often contain any living plants.

Use muted tones that are soothing. Add in a waterfall that is barely audible. If you have to listen hard to hear the sound of the waterfall, then you will be forced to block out all other sounds. Before you know it, you’ll be able to hear the soothing sound of the waterfall over everything else.

Sand and rocks should be the two main components in a Zen garden. Adding in random oddities, such as yard gnomes or brightly colored sculptures tends to be rather distracting. However, if you do feel the need to add in something living, try some bamboo plants.

Remember that a Zen garden is used as a form of meditation. You can’t simply go out and rake it the way you would rake a yard full of leaves. Well, you could, but you’d be missing the point of having a Zen garden in the first place. Start by raking around the larger rocks and the making your way towards the outer edges of the garden by following the original circle around each rock.

Making a Zen garden is a relaxing project in itself. I’ve always like the miniature sand gardens that fit on top of a desk. These are perfect for people who aren’t able to create their own larger version in the back yard. Have you ever thought about making a Zen garden of your own? What type would you create?

Top Photo Credit: CyboRoZ