Eight Ways to Experience the Meditation Garden
by Linda Moncur
You may have the chance to meet and greet the Museum’s resident robin, perched on the post or the sign.
You can sit on the bench, pause and contemplate the seasonal plant life or the garden’s lay-out. It is like a sunken room with the sky and its ceiling and the earth as its floor.
Following the path down to the bottom, you can gaze over the site of the former McKnight Trench and see where new Museum attractions will be.
Walking slowly, in silence, you can following the path down and around the second lantern post and slowly circle back, feeling the air against your face and practicing a walking meditation.
You can stroll through the garden’s eight flower beds, starting at the garden’s entrance. What colours do you see? What plant life do you recognize? Do you see any ants, worms, bees, birds or slugs
You can climb the stairs and stand at the railing to survey the garden from another vantage point… Which direction are you facing? Can you. identify the Holly tree, the Birch tree, the Magnolia tree, the Banana tree?
You can sit on the big rock, the meditation seat. Have your feet flat on the ground, your spine tall and your hands resting in your lap. Close your eyes if you like or just look down your nose to focus. Inhale through your nose and feel the cool air through your nostrils and pause for a moment. Exhale through your lips as slowly as you can… How do you feel?
You can take a picture to remember your visit or you can draw a picture or compose a poem when you go home. Be sure to come again!
