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National Garden Meditation Day – Time to Relax in Nature

May 3 is celebrated as National Garden Meditation Day. It’s a time to relax, and forget about the outside world in the peace of a lovely garden setting.

It’s often hard to take time out of a busy schedule to sit down and meditate. However, today gives you the perfect excuse to take some time for yourself!

Make sure when you pick your meditation spot that you honor the intent of the day, and choose a nice spot outside in the garden.

Large stone buddha statue in a garden bed surrounded by greenery and pink flowers to celebrate National Garden Meditation Day.

May is a month full of national days devoted to all sorts of outside activities. Check out the full list of April national food days here.

National days of the year are a fun way to celebrate odd and unusual foods, animals and items that you come into contact with. 

If you aren’t sure how national days started, be sure to check out my national day’s guide for more information on why we celebrate these special days.

The history of Garden Meditation Day

Garden Meditation Day was started by C.L. Fornari, author, radio host and garden consultant.  You can find more about her at The Garden Lady

C.L. has had a lifelong relationship with gardens. She believes that gardens can be the perfect spot for us to connect to ourselves and the world.

She finds pleasure and peace in all things gardening, even pulling weeds!

Meditation has long been a way to calm our minds and meditating in a garden really connects you with nature in a special way.

You can practice meditation by yourself in a garden setting, or join others in public garden meditations that are held world wide.

If meditation is new to you, try one of these guided meditations. YouTube is also a great place to search for guided meditations on many topics.

Tips for creating a meditation garden

Sure, you can just go outside and sit on the lawn to meditate, but there are many other ways to bring a peaceful location that is perfect for the practice. Try one of these ideas.A text overlay that reads "tips for creating a meditation garden" in between three images, the top with a gazebo in a lush garden, the bottom left of a pond in the center of a garden with a statue in the center, and the one on the bottom right of meditation stones.

  1. Create a sanctuary. Garden Meditation is best done in a private, peaceful and serene area of your yard.
  2. Add a pathway. Tucking the place for meditation around a corner with a path leading up to it will set up a sense of anticipation for the practice.
  3. Use water features.  Nothing will put you in a meditating mood more than the sound of water.
  4. Install a statue. You don’t need a statue of Buddha to meditate, but many Japanese inspired statues will set the mood for your meditation. You can even find funny meditating frog statues to add to your garden
  5. Use plants wisely. This is not the place for a colorful cutting garden. Instead use minimal plants, with texture and shape contrasts.
  6. Paint some rocks.  Adding a few rocks to a bird bath which have meditation words painted on them will set a nice peaceful mood.
  7. Use arches.  Garden arches and arbors can be a great entry point to an area of your garden set aside for meditation.
  8. Seating areas. Many people meditate sitting on the ground, but if this is not your cup of tea, a well located seating area will be a great spot to meditate.
  9. Add rocks.  A few flat rocks balanced on each other leads the mind to try and achieve the same type of balance in your life.
  10. Add some flowers. Some flowers are meant to bring good luck, such as carnations. They would be the perfect choice for a meditation garden setting.
  11. Use gazebos.  A gazebo is a special place in a garden that is a perfect spot to get a few minutes of peace in your day.

If you would like to learn more about setting up a garden meditation area, get some inspiration from these garden meditation areas

How to celebrate National Garden Meditation Day

Would you like to celebrate National Garden Meditation Day in a special way? Try one of these ideas.

A tower of grey stones in front of a bamboo forest with a text overlay for National Garden Meditation Day on May 3.

  • Spread the word on social media using the hashtag #nationalgardenmeditationday
  • Sit in the garden and listen to a guided meditation.
  • Read the book Garden Meditation – Cultivating Peace.
  • Use the adult coloring book Secret Garden for an indoor peaceful way to take your mind off things.
  • Sit outside and listen to the music of Zen Garden.
  • If you don’t have a garden space outside to meditate,  you can use a mini zen garden instead.
  • Find a comfortable spot outside in your garden and just be for a few minutes. You’ll be amazed at how recharged you feel.
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More national days in April

There are close to 2000 national days in the year and over 150 of them are celebrated in April. Be sure to check out this post to discover more about the national days in April.

Be sure to also check out these national days this month:

I also have a printable word search puzzle of the national days in May. It’s great for those who enjoy word games.

More May 3 national days

Did you enjoy learning about National Garden Meditation Day? Well you’re in luck, May 3 is host to more than just one national day! 

In fact, there are many of them. Below is a complete list of all the May 3 national days:

  • National Garden Meditation Day
  • National Textiles Day
  • National Chocolate Custard Day
  • National Lumpy Rug Day
  • National SAN Architect Day
  • National Paranormal Day
  • National Raspberry Popover Day
  • National Specially-Abled Pets Day
  • National Montana Day
  • National Two Different Colored Shoes Day
  • Public Radio Day
  • Sun Day

Pin this post for National Garden Meditation Day for later

Would you like a reminder of this post for National Garden Meditation Day? Just pin this image to one of your gardening boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.The words "Garden Meditation Day" in between two photos - the top photo is of rocks in a stack in front of bamboo, and the second photo is of a Buddha statue in a garden.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission from the sale, but the price is the same for you. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."