Mending Fences and Other Home-based Meditations

As a Kundalini Yogi, I always appreciate the opportunity to observe the ways we can practice off the mat. The things we do to maintain our abodes can offer ways to explore home improvement work as a form of meditation, especially the rinse-and-repeat type of tasks.

This summer my husband and I are tackling a nagging large scale project. Our backyard fence has needed to be replaced almost since the day we moved in eight years ago! This year finally presented the time to tend to it and we've been mending the fence as time and weather has allowed for the majority of the summer. Stripping off the old boards (many came off in big sections – talk about being ready for change!) and replacing them with fresh new pickets and supports has demanded a lot of elbow grease, but there has certainly been something meditative in the process of lining up a new board, screwing it in to the support beam, and seeing the new fence take shape one step at a time.

Reflecting on the process from a Feng Shui perspective, the act of erecting a fence represents setting intentional borders and boundaries of your space. It's been interesting to be in observer mode throughout this process as I've noticed a renewal of boundaries and borders in more ways than the physical. As the fence project got underway, I had the opportunity to work with an amazing self-care coach who started to teach me (and hold me accountable!) to the many ways I've needed to honor my personal needs and take care of myself first. (Look forward to meeting her and her amazing wisdom in NEA soon!) It brought a smile to my face as I noticed how the fence was a meditation in erecting my own boundaries and feeling a sense of security settling into the new within myself while the freshly milled, solid pine boards went up around me and the old splitting fence, pock-marked with holes and peeling paint, was coming down.