I love this book so much! This book really sets the tone when it comes to trying to learn to deep in your thoughts and be more mindful, I love that it uses the garden as a template to project us onto. I think people who read this book will find it highly beneficial for subject but also for how calming and easy it is to read.

Interesting, well written and full of useful exercises. It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book sounded right up my alley but I found myself really rushing through it and I didn't connect to the types of exercises at all. I am not the type to want to sit down and journal about a plant outside I guess. Maybe another format would have worked better for me, one with more space and more illustrations, perhaps with a calendar feel to it. This just felt like such a long, crammed book of ideas that were very similar to each other. I admire the author and the work, it just wasn't a good fit for me.

I had thought that this book would be something I would take a lot out of but it felt like we were separated by a layer of glass I can see what is on the other side. But I couldn't really grasp what was there.
Everytime I dove in nothing would really stick. Even now I'm finding it difficult to pull any memory of what I have read.
Which left me disappointed in myself in reality, because the nature focused approach of this feels new and intriguing. I feel like I will pick this book up again once spring begins starting to trickle in and maybe then this will better connect for me.

A beautiful book with exercises focused on many plants. I think the pages on the individual plants could have used more cultural information but it's fine.

I'm a big gardener so I was really excited to read this book when I came across it on NetGalley. As someone who is always in my own head, mindfulness is something I've tried to incorporate into my life. Combining it with plants and gardening is exactly what I needed. The book had a really helpful tips section that helped me a lot.

Thank you, NetGalley and Llewellyn Publications, for an arc of Growing Mindful: Explorations in the Garden to Deepen Your Awareness in exchange for an honest review.
As an herbalist and gardener, I cannot fully express how much I enjoyed this book. The premise is brilliant, blending nature and gardening with meditation and being mindful. Each of the exercises alone is a beautiful way to combat stress and ground yourself; integrating these practices, Joan Calabrese provides activities that will enrich your life, mind, body, and spirit.
The book is organized into chapters that outline: sensory, movement, creative, and elemental explorations. I love all of the experiential exercises in this book. I especially love the idea of journaling experiences with plants. By taking time to focus on a single plant and using the author's method of attunement, integration, and reflection, we raise our awareness of it, including its attributes and how we might integrate our experiences with the plant into our lives. She provides a detailed list of plants to explore along with meditation questions. I found that I felt more connected to it by intentionally experiencing a plant, especially those I use to create herbal remedies and teas. I found the exercises and the journaling to be very relaxing, and I looked forward to getting to know a plant a little better each day. My most significant takeaway experience has been how mindful I've become. I'm often moving and doing without giving a lot of thought, just getting things done. These exercises challenged me to slow down and become present, which has tremendous benefits. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys plants, gardening, or anyone who wants to explore experiential ways of becoming more mindful and present in their daily lives.

Growing Mindful by Joann Calabrese

9780738764771

288 Pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
Release Date: January 8, 2021

Nonfiction, Mind, Body & Spirit, Religion & Spirituality

Nowadays it is important to find ways to be more mindful. There is so much stress and anxiety that it is crucial we find ways to relax. One way to do that is to connect with nature. The author provides different techniques to be mindful in the garden. The book is divided into the following parts.

Part 1: Green World Explorations
Chapter 1: Sensory Explorations
Chapter 2: Movement Explorations
Chapter 3: Creative Explorations
Chapter 4: Elemental Explorations
Chapter 5: Explorations of Connection
Chapter 6: Deeper Explorations

Part 2: Plant Correspondences as Mindful Focus
In this section, there are 52 weeks with a plant associated with each one.

I really enjoyed the different techniques she shared including the advice of journaling the experiences. If you are new to mindfulness, this is a wonderful book to read. If you have been practicing mindfulness, this is an excellent way to expand your horizons to keep your practice fresh.