Gardening 

Nirvana’s therapeutic and kitchen gardens continue by trial, error and flexible participation. They serve the purpose of social experiments so that we evolve real authentic ways of advancing.

From the texture of the soil between your fingers, to gripping a weed to pull it out from the bed, to seeing tendrils and leaves coming up in rows from the earth, it’s all profoundly satisfying, almost on a cellular level. We grow with nature, and you.

Growing and eating food fresh from the garden is something that most gardeners get to enjoy. There’s nothing like the flavour of a homegrown tomato, freshly picked basil and parsley or the crunch of a well-grown lettuce leaf.

It is also a joy and a revelation to witness how with a little care and tending to, the earth brings forth ripe abundance, such as pumpkin, chokos and potatoes roasted from the oven, or oranges, lemons, limes, apples, rhubarb and mangoes as dessert feasts. The seeds of divine love enter into our lives.

This, of course, is a far cry from the modern dream of fame, fortune, and power in the boom-bust business world. Dreams which keep disappearing into the far distance as they are chased, like mirages in a desert. Dreams of unending profits often leave our social landscape barren, when we use other people as means to an illusory end. Instead of continuing to chase profits into the receding future, when we make a conscious choice to plant a garden right here, it is here where we harvest the fruits of our labour, both physical and spiritual.

We garner much joy and inspiration as we find our own ‘inner gardens’ becoming just as fruitful and abundant. Bering in nature allows us to turn feelings of disappointment, confusion, anger, fear and pain into love, as we gain great clarity about life’s purpose and tune into the Divine where we can harvest abundant joy.

Yoga is a practice that helps us tend our ‘inner gardens’. The fruits of this daily spiritual practice nourish us and others around us.

Supporting seeds within the ground of our inner garden by the weeding (with the controls, yamas), we collectively recognise that we must live in that place where, at the end of the day, we don’t have regrets for how we’ve acted toward others.

Making the turn inward, toward this humbler way of living, takes real work. We seek to tend our relationships with kindness and honesty, being generous and loving to one another, minding the texture of each moment with care, just as we would care for the soil in which our food grows. The practices of niyamas enable us to feel, act, and embody gratitude, joy, and ease, and to be a real role model for others.

As we reach the end of Autumn and head into the Winter months, with the temperature dropping and the days getting shorter, we seek out comforting foods. The produce that comes with the change of season supplies nutrients to the body to aid our immune system for the cooler months ahead.

On a lovely sunny day in Winter, it’s wonderful to enjoy time out in the garden on the Gold Coast. As the winter winds hit and frosty days arrive for those of you in the Southern States, please feel invited to venture into Nirvana’s garden for activities.

We are always open to gather more guidance and resources for fun and meaningful gardening activities. We enjoy growing with you. And we are ever grateful for the input of Margot who continues to spear-head Nirvana’s garden vitality.