Do you ever feel like you’re gettting pulled in a million directions at once?
Like your thoughts keep racing around your mind?
Do you have trouble falling asleep because you can’t stop thinking about that one thing?
I absolutely know the feeling.
I’ve always admired people who have a regular meditation practice. Meditation is a great tool for that mind-all-over-the-place feeling.
But sometimes, it’s hard to sit still and meditate when you feel that way! It can feel somehow counter-productive. Like, “how can I quiet my mind when it’s so loud?”
Lately I’ve been finding ways to clear my mind through more active meditations.
For me, an active meditation is an easier path to slowing down my brain.
Arranging flowers is a beautiful way to do active meditation. Have you ever tried it?
Here’s how I use flower arranging as a deeply meditative and restorative break in my day.
Setting Yourself Up For Calm
The setup is the most important part! By taking some intentional steps before you get started, you can clear the way for a peaceful arranging session.
1. Start with a Clean Working Space
Find yourself a desk, table, or kitchen counter to arrange on. And then, completely clear it off!
Do whatever you need to do to clear that surface off. You have my permission to take everything that was on that surface and put it into a box for the next hour. Or dump it all onto another surface for now! It doesn’t have to be a permanent solution.
I don’t care where the clutter goes, but find a way to give yourself a nice, clean working surface for your flower meditation.
2. Arrange your Mise en Place
Mise en Place is a French term from the cooking world. It means “put in place,” and it’s a concept used by chefs to ensure they have all the ingredients they need for a recipe neatly measured out.
You’re going to make yourself a flower Mise en Place before you begin your flower meditation.
Gather the following things and place them with intention onto your clean working surface:
- Your Flowers
- A Vase or Vessel for arranging in, cleaned and filled with water
- Floral Snips or Scissors
- An extra jar or two, also filled with water, for placing flowers in temporarily while you work (optional)
- Floral Tape or Wire, if you need them (optional)
3. Put Your Phone Away
Turn the sound off! Turn it off completely! Toss that phone out the window!
Do whatever you need to do in order to give yourself some interruption-free time while you are arranging.
Unless you anticipate an emergency in the next ~30 minutes, you don’t need your phone right now.
One thing I like to do, though, is put my phone on airplane mode and use it to play soft, calming music. If you need to, you can also put your phone on “Do not Disturb” mode with any VIPs in your life allowed to get your attention.
If you need to put some time boundaries around your flower meditation, you can also set an alarm on your phone to go off after 20 or 30 minutes. But try to make it a nice-sounding alarm 😉
4. Save the Cleanup for Later
Give yourself permission to make a mess while you’re doing your flower meditation.
This is an important step so you can let go of any ideas of constraining yourself and being “neat” and “clean” while you are being creative!
Make a mess! It’s ok to get leaves, stems, and petals on the table and on the floor. You can sweep everything up later.
Begin Your Flower Meditation
Now that you’re all set up, it’s time to begin your flower meditation.
Before I start a flower meditation, I like to take a few extra steps to help me feel grounded and open myself up to creativity.
5. Start with a Few Deep Breaths
Standing in front of your working surface, facing your beautiful flower Mise en Place, close your eyes. Place one hand over your heart, and one hand over your belly.
Take a few deep breaths.
Feel with your hands how your chest and your belly move with each breath.
After a few breaths, your body will feel calmer. You’re using these breaths to create space. You’re giving your thinking brain a break and allowing your instinctive body-brain to take over.
When you’re ready, open your eyes and relax your hands.
6. Really See (and Touch and Smell) Your Flowers
Allow yourself to really see your flowers. Look at them closely. Notice their different shapes and textures and little individual details.
This is your time to be with these flowers. Give yourself as much time as you want to discover each one. There’s no rush. Get to know them! You can touch and smell them, too.
Did you notice before how the petals on this flower are slightly shimmery? Or how the coloring on that bloom, which had looked pink before, has subtle shades of yellow in it? How those two blooms are the same variety, but they have different personalities?
The better you understand your flowers, the more naturally you will be able to work with them. Focusing on these details will also help chase other thoughts out of your brain.
7. Let Your Creativity Flow
By this point, you’ll hopefully be feeling relaxed and calm. And, now that you’ve spent some time getting to know your flowers, you’ve probably got ideas about how you want to arrange them!
This is the time to let your creativity flow and make your gorgeous and unique floral arrangement.
I’ve got a few tips as you do this.
Listen to the Flowers
Let your flowers tell you where they want to be placed in your arrangement.
This might sound crazy, but the flowers will tell you!
You’ve spent time getting to know these flowers, and I bet you can tell which ones want to stand tall and proud at the top of the arrangement.
I bet you can also tell which flowers want to be next to each other, because they have such lovely coloring when paired together.
I bet you also know which flowers and foliage are happy to be background supporting elements, and which flowers really want to pop out in front as the focal point.
Place your flowers where they want to go.
Let Go of Perfection
Give yourself the space and freedom to play!
Give yourself permission to make whatever you make. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It will be beautiful because it’s yours.
Your act of flower arranging right now is an experience for you as much as it is a means to an end arrangement.
Allow yourself to be in the experience of arranging without judgement or expectations about what your final piece will look like.
Have Fun!
Above all, I hope you have a little fun during your flower meditation, too!
I hope that you love what you make. If you do, or even if you don’t, send us a picture of your flower meditation session! Or leave a comment here to let us know how it went.
Your flower arrangement doesn’t have to be perfect. But, if you’d like to build your confidence with flower arranging, we can help! Come to our fall floral arranging workshop at our flower farm.
I hope that you leave your flower meditation session not only with a beautiful arrangement, but with new clarity and peace of mind.
Samantha is the owner of Sea Change Farm & Flower.
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I love this! Connecting with each flower is such a wonderful way to appreciate them! I’ve also been nervous about “messing up” while arranging but this totally gives space for just enjoying the act of arranging and being with flowers! Thanks!
Thank you. This was a great post that meditative flower arranging a lot less intimidating.