Image, if you will, strategically placed plants creating seclusion, a simple yet elegant, peaceful, soothing spot for a quiet reflection. In other words, a meditation garden.
Almost all of us have hectic personal and professional schedules; it can be difficult to find a relaxing moment of peace and quiet. Yet finding a balance is vital to having a healthy and happy life.
I am a student at College of the Canyons at the Canyon Country campus. As a full-time student with a 2-year-old boy, I can say that there are days when I feel overwhelmed.
I understand I’m not the only one who gets these feelings and that students are not the only humans with busy lives. This is why I would like to bring to the reader’s attention meditation gardens, because such gardens can be used by all.
Students, professors, guards, alcoholics and addicts, young and old, and many more could benefit from these gardens. The idea of having a meditation garden on campus sounds amazing because not only would it help relieve some stress on campus, but it would give anyone on campus a place to hang out and aid with clearing his or her mind.
It would be a sort of recharge for one’s mind, body and soul with nature to help achieve balance. Of course, not only would this be available to those on campus, but on the college’s bi-annual “Garden Walk” event the entire community can come enjoy all the gardens the college has.
On this day a wildlife expert and professor from College of the Canyons takes on the roll of guide. Here the guide carefully explains each garden and why it’s there and what it does for the school, along with hands-on experience on how to start one’s own small garden.
If this Canyon Country campus meditation garden was implanted, it would be the eighth garden at College of the Canyons. Plants like white sage, romero plant (Rosemary), common rue plant, California sages, lavender and evening-primrose, to name a few, are all native plants that could be used not only on campus but in our homes.
Herbs have tremendous healing properties that humans can benefit from. The plants just named are some of the many that make up a good meditation garden.
Go out and buy a lavender plant for your yard, or come by our campus on our next garden walk and experience one of our many gardens. I urge you all to be aware of your natural scenes or elements, thereby helping you evoke positive feelings.
Alberto E Delgado III is a College of the Canyons student and a Sylmar resident.
