Integrate weekly air plant baths into a deeply thoughtful nature meditation. Forest bathing isn’t always an option, but air plant baths are a compelling, methodical task that you can bring right into your home. Ready to try? Let’s face it, from Tillandsias to Butzii, tending to your little beauties is already a task steeped in love and patience. If you’ve never cared for air plants before, understand that there are many strategies to do so. I choose air plant bathing, once a week. Here I will share with you how that love turns into a routine meditation of daily living. You see, for the last several years, my deep affection for air plants has done nothing but grow…as have their numbers. And every week, as I gather up my various babies for their soak in the bath, I’m filling my cup as I meet the tasks of the householder path.
Allow yourself to be supported by the natural flow of activity in your life. Natural health begins in the garden of your life. All that exists in your garden, is a catalyst for therapy and growth.
“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.”
-Jon Kabat-Zinn
The 10 Steps Of Air Plant Bath Meditation
All meditations serve us best when they are provided with a ‘container’ (a timed atmosphere with a clear start and finish). In the case of this meditation, your awareness of and dedication to the process are the meditative containers. The synergy of my climate, plants, and process usually yields about a one-hour meditative journey. Play with your process to identify the appropriate timing for you. Whatever that ends up being; take the time that it takes. This is not a task to rush.
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Intention Setting
- Acknowledge the WHY of why you are choosing to do this.
- Center yourself in the intention of meeting this process with love.
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Water Preparation
- Select a physical container to prepare your water.
- Rainwater, or bottled water, is optimal but use what you have available and fill the bath.
- Most varieties of air plants benefit from the monthly use of air plant-specific fertilizers. Most can either be sprayed directly on the plant after bathtime, or added into the bathwater.
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Collection
- It’s time to collect your plants from their display perches, bringing them all together with care and tenderness.
- Give thanks to the community their presence brings to your space.
- Notice their individual growth and condition.
- Look and see if any plants have a whiteish-colored ‘leaf fuzz’. This means they are very healthy!
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Soaking
- Place each plant into the water.
- Play with the different techniques of floating or submerging to discover which method works best for you with your plants.
- Set a timer for your designated length of soaking. Most air plants can thrive with 30-45 minutes in the water weekly.
- Spend this soaking time meaningfully; meditating, journaling, or just sitting in stillness.
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Drying
- One at a time, lift your plants from the bath and give a gentle shake.
- Lay the plants out somewhere where they have time to fully dry.
- Rotate the plants to help them shed excess water during the drying process.
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Noticing
- Has the current state and condition of the plant changed in any way in comparison to their condition during collection?
- Are there any causes for concern that you need to investigate?
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Assessing
- Brown tips indicate a need for more frequent watering.
- In some species, curled-up leaves signal distress.
- Wet and/or dry rot indicates that a plant isn’t breathing properly. Adjust chosen displays and airflow.
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Returning
- Gently return each plant to its display location.
- Appreciate what that plant’s presence gives you with love, appreciation and gratitude.
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Gratitude
- Once all the other steps are done, sit for a few quiet moments with what you have accomplished.
- Remember, you GET TO do this process, methodically, on a weekly basis.
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Releasing
- Mindfully, release the processes of this nature meditation.
- Dump the water.
- Open yourself fully to the rest of the day.
The Nature of Meaning
Air plant baths are a wonderful point of living meditation. I get it; either you’re a plant person or not. We choose to be present and mindful, or not. In recent weeks, I’ve really been leaning into my WHY, and I hope that this air plant bath meditation will help you to do the same. When we can connect with our innermost reasons, our every action is given the opportunity to bring a deeper layer of richness into our being. For me, the mechanics of what is so special about the process of mothering plants is that within this task, you allow nature to converse with you. You are connected and listening, attuned to the gentler ways in which nature responds.
Be Well.
“There is no barrier between you and it. Even though it seems to be “out there,” or even “way out there,” it is in your soul. It is part of your soul, for there is no “way out there.” Its elements are your body, pulling, longing, and yearning. The whole Earth is pulling, longing, and yearning. Take a deep breath and let these wonders fill you. Then open your eyes again.“
For today, connect with yourself.
For a moment, commune with Nature.
In practice, let all become a meditation.