Zen gardening is an ancient stress relief activity, which brings a sense of peace and calmness to the mind. Buddhist monks introduced this concept in the sixth century. These Japanese gardens were especially designed for meditations. They are the perfect blend of man-made material and the nature itself, and are created to experience tranquility. These gardens enable a person to concentrate by closing all the doors of distraction and stress of the outside world. But now, because there is a limitation of space everywhere, it is a little difficult to make one for yourself. So, mini Zen gardens are nowadays being created to get the same feeling. Before learning to make one yourself, let us see what it is all about. Zen Garden It is a kind of Japanese garden that has gravel arranged in such a way that resembles flowing water, stones kept to give an appearance of a mountain, and plants. All these elements are brought together to give a perfect feel of nature. They have gained immense popularity in the West. Creating this garden is very easy as well. Moreover, it adds a unique beauty to the landscape. Maintenance of these gardens is quite simple and easy after it has taken proper shape and structure. The word Zen has been derived from the Sanskrit word dhyana, i.e., to contemplate. It is actually a school of Mahayana Buddhism that accentuates meditation for the awakening of the conscious. Zen also means 'dry', that means a garden that hardly requires water, so it is easy to maintain. Zen gardens are supposed to be a good source of calmness for mind, soul, and body. Miniature gardens play a very important role in today's stressful environment. If you want to make one for yourself, then you must have a kit which includes a handmade container, fine sand, bamboo rake, polished stones, and figurines of various styles and colors. Apart from all these things, you can also buy a complete Feng Shui guide, if you wish. Procedure Pour fine sand in the container. The size of the container depends on how big a garden you want. You can even use a necklace box or a sushi tray. Decorate the small polished rocks and gravel on the sand. Make different patterns on the sand by using a bamboo rake or a forked stick. You can also make it more beautiful by placing different shaped rocks, or by keeping a Buddha figurine in the garden and giving it a more authentic look. You can make it attractive by adding some accessories mention below. Accessories

• Fisherman
• Mini Pavilion
• Small Pavilion
• Goose
• Medium Rocks
• Large Rocks
• Rocks with Words
• Decorative Marbles
• Sand

You can find a Zen garden near temples, or near ancient cities where monks used to stay. Two of the famous places where you can find these gardens are Tokyo and Kyoto. But now, you can even have one inside your home. Zen gardens are available in many forms like executive Zen sand garden, textured Zen sand garden, Zen dreamer sand garden, desktop garden, and executive walnut garden. You can also make a personalized garden and keep it anywhere you wish. According to Zen and Feng Shui beliefs, every corner of the house or environment is special, and deserves respect and gratitude. So, get one for yourself and feel the change.