Bonsai plants are worthy of appreciation and care, thanking those who care for them in the form of benefits to their mental health, harmony, and well-being.
In Latin America there is a great taste for oriental therapies, such as reiki, shiatsu and yoga. What is least talked about, but also acts as therapy, is the cultivation of bonsai. If you like to follow the growth and development of plants, surely growing a bonsai will bring benefits to your mental health and wellness.
What is bonsai?
Bonsai is a way of growing large trees to miniature size. Contrary to what many people think, there are no bonsai trees.
Seeds or common tree seedlings are used, but the planting and the entire cultivation process, such as pruning, are done so that it remains in miniature size and in the desired format.
Benefits of growing bonsai
Nature is splendid. You see, you may have trees over fifteen or thirty feet tall, grown in a vase that will fit on your coffee table. It is the same tree, that in the bosque it is immense, with all its beautiful details, but in miniature size, inside your house.
Nature lovers and appreciators can already be in awe just by looking at the miniature trees. But when you grow these plants, especially when they need pruning, the connection is even greater.
This connection is between you and the plant, in a moment of care when you need to observe it, imagine in which direction you want its branches to grow. And then cut it off, wait for it to heal and continue to develop.
While taking care of the bonsai, you also come into contact with its essence. It is a time to silence, calm the body and mind. Reflect, appreciate nature, life, the present moment.
Therapeutic
Taking care of a bonsai can be both a hobby and a therapy for those who like it and have the time. In an interview with UOL Equilíbrio , Carlos Eduardo Leite, university professor and bonsai practitioner of the Bonsái e Ciência Project, explains that “Cultivation provides daily contact with nature, which promotes well-being and calm. In some cases they bring back memories and sensations that lead us to positive experiences and happiness.” .
And the advantages go further, as the psychologist Rachel Góes, who works at the Onofre Lopes University Hospital of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, says: “Taking care of the bonsai goes beyond a moment of relaxation, this attention to the plant reinforces or rewards its caretaker, having a direct impact on their self-esteem. And it is also a way of training mindfulness, quite common in meditation”.
By Priscilla Riscarolli. Item in Portuguese