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Along the Journey  |  

From The Ground Up: Digging Deeper Into Our Body-Garden Connection

Over the last several years, there has been a significant increase in the number of articles that discuss the health benefits that people can gain through gardening – opportunities for movement and relationship development, improved mental and spiritual wellbeing, chances to grow local/sustainable food, among other things – which is wonderful.

As a gardener myself, I can attest to some of the health benefits I have personally received.

As a result of this recent attention, I have found myself increasingly drawn toward reflecting on our body-garden connection, particularly because I find that so many articles (not all) touch only on the surface-level health benefits of gardening, thus missing the richness that can come from digging more deeply into why there is such a strong connection. 

 

So, why is gardening so good for our health?

  1. I think it’s because what both our bodies and plants need to thrive are essentially the same! And, really, this shouldn’t be any surprise given that our lives started in a garden:

“And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there God put the man whom God had formed.  Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” ~Genesis 2:8-9

Because people and plants share the same basic needs, and since humans and gardens have such a long-standing relationship, it should be no surprise that there are notable theological parallels that illuminate this connection.

 

 

Elements

Plants

Wellbeing

Our

Wellbeing

Theological Parallels
 

 

Soil

Anchors and gives temperature regulation to roots, provides a medium for nutrients, water, and air transport and uptake.  

 

Where our essential nutrients come from.

 

Being grounded helps us to be receptive to taking in God’s word.

 

 

Water

 

Hydration, clean leaves make for healthier plants, seed germination

Hydration, bathing, and our lives begin suspended in amniotic fluid (which is mostly water)  

Israel’s escape from Egypt through the sea, baptism, Jesus is living water.

 

 

Air

Plants need air to photosynthesize (make food) and for the leaves and roots to breathe. Breathing improves healing and digestion and increases energy levels  

God’s breath gave life to the first human, the Holy Spirit as wind.

 

 

 

Darkness

 

Plays a significant role in plant growth and the plant’s circadian rhythm.

 

Essential for quality sleep and maintaining our circadian rhythm

God started the creation process in darkness, the interplay between light and dark are important in Christian thinking.
 

 

 

 

Light

 

 

Generate food (photosynthesis), induces the growing cycle, and allow for healthy development.

Essential for healthy bones, mental wellbeing, immune and neuromuscular function, glucose regulation, and decreases in some forms of cancer and other diseases.  

Jesus is the light of the world, light symbolizes wisdom, and discipleship (you don’t cover a light under a bushel basket).

 

I have read that Jesus used agricultural illustrations because this is what people knew.

However, equally important, and not frequently discussed, is the fact that there is, indeed, a fundamental link between people and plants.

I believe this chart, which is far from an exhaustive comparison, is a case in point of this deep connection!

 

  1. People and plants are both deeply impacted by what season of life they are experiencing. Spring, summer, fall, winter… new growth, maturation, flower/harvest, dormancy.  Plants and people alike experience different seasons, and each season presents different needs.  Paying attention to these changes, and the needs that come with them, is crucial for how we attend to the well-being of both our gardens and our lives: daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.           

 

In the midst of this familiar rhythm and shared commonality of each season, then, there is also a uniqueness in the needs each season presents and, thus, how we are called to tend to ourselves in each season that plays a vital role in our collective wellbeing.

As we move through different seasons, it becomes important for us to consider some important questions, such as:

 

For example, some plants have especially intense nutrient needs – such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – at particular times, while others use up lesser amounts.

Thus, proper fertilization and crop rotation are essential for a healthy garden.

As people, we, too, have certain needs at certain times.

Family expectations, work obligations, health/medical challenges, celebrations (graduations, weddings, reunions), experiences of loss and/or difficult transitions (jobs, retirement, moving, death), all may bring with them different requirements, meaning how we tend to ourselves in them may change.

 

As such, it is important for us to make an assessment of how we are doing on a regular basis.

What aspects of our wellbeing (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational, etc.) are feeling parched or malnourished?

What are we pleased with?

What needs might require attention soon?  Just as a garden needs regular care, so do we!  (Click here if you would like to utilize our wellness assessment.)

  1. Both people and plants need others to thrive!

In a garden, there are certain plants that get along well with each other.  This is the concept of companion plants.  Each has a role in the garden’s collective wellbeing.  Some attract pollinators, others suppress weeds, others ward off “bad” bugs, and others provide shade.  Essentially, companion plants grow well together, each contributing to the good of the other.  Thus, intentionally increasing the diversity of plants increases the health of the garden.

 

Likewise, we need people in our lives who will help us to enrich our experience, show us new ways of thinking, expose our blind spots, and generally round out our human experience.

Moreover, we also need to be willing to do this for other people, too.

As with a garden, “mono-culture” is also detrimental to humans as we move through life’s various seasons.

 

As we enter into the summer season, I want to challenge you to do some digging around in your figurative and/or literal garden and ask yourself:

 

May all be well.


Rev. Dr. Karen Webster is co-founder and executive director of the Healthy Seminarians-Healthy Church Initiative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and validated ministry of Trinity Presbytery (SC).  In addition to being an ordained PC(USA) pastor, Karen is certified as an Exercise Physiologist, Nutrition Specialist, and Health and Wellness Coach.

This post originally appeared on https://www.healthyseminarians-healthychurch.org/body-garden-connect-2022/.

 

 


“Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are.”

Alfred Austin (English poet, 1835 – 1913)

Along the Journey