Page 20 - Outdoor Living October 2025
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LIFESTYLE
OUTDOOR WELLNESS:
Creating retreats in your own backyard
t first light, the lawn is cool Design Ideas for Everyday Retreats
underfoot. Birds stir in the Outdoor wellness doesn’t require acres of land — only intention.
Abranches, lavender brushes • Yoga & Meditation Corners: Place a small deck or outdoor rug where the
against your ankles, and for a morning sun is gentle, shielded from the harsh afternoon glare.
moment the world is quiet. You roll • Hammocks & Swing Chairs: Create a suspended retreat for reading,
out a mat beneath the pergola and resting, or swaying with the breeze.
breathe — no spa, no travel, just • Outdoor Gyms: From resistance bands tied to a pergola to simple pull-
a small ritual in your own garden. up bars, movement can live in the garden.
Wellness doesn’t live only at a • Cold Plunge & Recovery: A stock-tank plunge tub or quick outdoor
retreat; it can start the moment you shower offers invigorating ritual, especially after a Highveld run.
step outside your back door. • Fire & Warmth: A fire bowl keeps evenings alive through winter, turning
your retreat into a gathering place as well as a personal one.
Why It Matters
Research confirms what we already Nature as the Healer
feel: time outdoors lowers stress, Nothing grounds wellness like plants and water.
balances mood, and restores • Herbs: Lavender for calm, mint for refreshment, rosemary for clarity.
energy. But beyond the science lies Local favourites like wild garlic or pelargoniums add fragrance and
something more personal — the colour.
shift that happens when you hear • Sensory Gardens: Mix textures — grasses that rustle, shrubs that flower,
water trickling or notice the smell stones that hold heat for barefoot grounding.
of rosemary after rain. Designing • Water Features: From a solar fountain to a pebble stream, water sound
wellness into your backyard is about lowers stress and masks city noise.
building these moments of pause • Indigenous Choices: Aloes, spekboom, and grasses thrive in Highveld
into daily life. soils, attract sunbirds, and save water.
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