One of the key things I ask a prospective new private yoga client about is their current activity and as soon as someone says they are a keen gardener it speaks volumes.
Digging, lifting, raking, crouching, squatting, reaching overhead, leaning over, gardening has ninja warrior written all over it in my book.
In fact an American study of a group of 145,000 showed the gardeners were less likely to have type 2 diabetes due to the vigorous exercise of garden work.
However, you do not need a vast garden to benefit from other wellness elements gardening can give us. Pots of herbs, raised veg borders in communal flats, guerrilla gardening groups, help a neighbour schemes, volunteer projects and community gardens are flourishing in most towns. And we know that being around trees affects our immunity, even seeing green spaces has an impact on our health – I have a blog on that here
l) The Joy Of ‘Outsiding’ – Yoga By Rose
Even a regular 20 mins in the garden can boost the hormone that supports memory and learning, increase the protein that improves brain blood cell supply and even create greater micro biome diversity potentially leading to better gut health.
This mild ‘infection’ with normal outside trace bacteria can help our gut, our feel good hormones like serotonin and give us added positive well being effects too.
Gardening and being outdoors can be incredibly mindful whether in solitude and peace or creating healthy interactions in communities, just like our yoga practices. There is even research trying to get funding around it possibly reducing depression, stress and being good for dementia, again similar to yoga.
It is often the thing we miss too, getting our hands in the dirt, feeling the earth, watching growth, being outdoors. So given the documented benefits is there a way you could join in locally, work with a friend or get outdoors and plant a few secret seeds? I won’t tell.
