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Planting a Moon Garden

Heidi Smith — March 9, 2021

What does the moon have to do with flower essences and ritual? As we discussed in an earlier chapter, the moon represents a time before the dominant culture came into power. While the moon has no gender, it is a metaphor for the divine feminine and a symbol for the creative, the intuitive, the unconscious, and the shadow. Before the Gregorian calendar came into use in the sixteenth century, many cycles of time were measured on a lunar basis, as are the Islamic, Chinese, and Jewish calendars today. All ancient agriculture was organized around lunar and astrological transits, which is one of the basic practices of biodynamic farming today. Many of us feel a fascination with the moon, and I feel it beckons us back to a different consciousness, where much healing potential awaits.

Creating altars or sacred spaces outdoors can be another place for ritual work. While I can’t have a moon garden in the city, I can have a few lunar plants in my windowsill to catch the moonlight.

Not all flowers bloom in the sunlight. Some plants prefer the darkness, opening to the night. Moon plants can be cultivated in any terrain. Many night bloomers are also very fragrant. I consider all plants medicinal to some degree; however, some of the moon garden plants may be more therapeutic than others. These can also be plants that you use for making your own flower essences. Or, if you like to make dried sticks of herbs to burn, you can use the plants from your moon garden, such as mugwort.

You can see the lunar signature of mugwort by observing the underside of the leaf, which is silver. The Latin name for it is Artemisia vulgaris; Artemis, if you remember, was the Greek goddess of the moon! Plants with light and white blooms work best, as well as gray and silvery leaves.

Here are some perfect moon garden plants:

plants for a moon garden

The video on how to make your own flower essence medicine can be found here.

This is an excerpt from The Bloom Book: A Flower Essence Guide to Cosmic Balance by Heidi Smith.

Heidi Smith, MA, RH (AHG), is a psychosomatic therapist, registered herbalist, and flower essence practitioner. Within her private practice, Moon & Bloom, Heidi works collaboratively with her clients to empower greater balance, actualization, and soul-level healing within themselves. She is passionate about engaging both the spiritual and scientific dimensions of the plant kingdom, and sees plant medicine and ritual as radical ways to promote individual, collective, and planetary healing. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her partner and two cats. For more, visit moonandbloom.com.

bloom book cover

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The Remedy We Are Excited To Try in the New Year: Flow...

Heidi Smith — January 11, 2021

What are flower essences?

The goals of flower essence therapy include: ease in accessing higher vibratory states like joy and gratitude; enhanced mind-body-spirit balance, presence, acceptance of emotions and integration of difficult vibratory states; encouraging flow states like creativity; manifesting; supporting balance; expanding awareness of self and the Universe, ancestral connection and healing; and helping us to be of greater service to ourselves, others, and the Earth.

Flower essences work by way of the following:

synchronicities—helping us connect seemingly unrelated or previously unseen opportunities or happenings
indirect occurrences—positively affecting different environments and interpersonal dynamics
insights—supporting mental, emotional, physical, and/or astral awakening; new ideas, solutions, or information may present
physical changes—bringing up new sensations, shifts in organ/system functioning or in symptoms
emotional responses—bringing up new feelings or memories; stabilizing or releasing them
expression—inspiring artistic, verbal, and kinesthetic expression
dreamtime—bringing about new or recurring dreams, insights, and subconscious resolution
invoking intention—the more time and space you can offer, the more likely you’ll be able to feel flower essences. For example, taking them with a light meditation, a visualization, while doing yoga or some other kind of bodywork or prayer

flower essence illustration

How to Select a Flower Essence

Flower essences can be purchased from a quality producer, or you can make your own. Here, I will discuss how to select and apply ready-made flower essence remedies. You can learn how to wildcraft your own flower essences with me in this video.

When you’re starting out with flower essences, it can be overwhelming—so many producers and so many essences! I like to encourage people to remember that it’s your relationship with the plant that is the most important thing in selection. Your relationship with the remedy is the co-creation with that plant. The more you work with flowers, the more you will be able to feel and trust this part of the process.

The following are some ways to begin exploring flower essences:

Depending on what issue(s) you’d like to address, begin by taking one to three essences that resonate with you. Many producers offer sets of remedies that have a particular focus. You may want to purchase a set to experiment with, such as the FES’s Range of Light, Delta Gardens’ Protection Set, Alaskan Essences, or the Bach Essences.
Consider flower essences that invite presence, relaxation, protection, and grounding.
If you want to study the essences more carefully, consider making flashcards or purchasing the flower cards (Alaskan Essences, FES, and Bach make sets).
If you’re curious to learn more about how a plant might connect with your ancestry, consider doing some research on how it was used historically.
Perhaps there’s a flower you’re curious about, or have seen in nature. Ask this plant if it would like to work with you.

flower essence

Here are five basic ways to select a flower essence:

Intuitively: A flower essence might come to you by way of revealing itself in nature, or appearing in a dream.
By dowsing: Using a tool of resonance, such a pendulum, to test for essences.
Through muscle testing: A simple way to muscle test is to make a ring with the index finger and thumb of your nondominant hand. If you would like to test for a yes for an essence, say the name of the plant and flick the circle with your dominant hand. If the circle holds, that’s a yes. If it breaks open, that is a no.
By consulting reference literature: Books, repertories, or flower affirmation cards.
Through blind testing: By drawing a card or randomly selecting an essence from a set. This method works well with children.

Any of these methods can be integrated into your ritual. Before making remedies for other people, it’s a good idea to spend some time with the flower essences yourself. The flowers will have much to share with you. Also, the more experience you have with the essences yourself, the better you will understand how the essences will work for others.

This is an excerpt from The Bloom Book: A Flower Essence Guide to Cosmic Balance by Heidi Smith.

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DIY Rose Essence and Heart Breathing Ritual

Heidi Smith — September 25, 2020

The heart chakra is the central integrating chamber of the chakra system. Through the healing power of love, all things eventually find their way to connection and wholeness.

ANODEA JUDITH

Heart Medicine Rituals

The greatest lesson I have learned so far is to exist within my heart. This is a lifelong practice for me because, like many, I was not taught to inhabit my heart space. On a physical level, the general collective is not doing so well in our hearts. This is evidenced by the stark reality that heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. This high incidence of disease points to a deeper situation of the heart, but in order to be open to the possibility that more profound heart healing is necessary and possible, we must open our minds to a more metaphysical or energetic interpretation of what the heart is and what it does. Ancestrally, the heart held a much higher evolutionary significance, and as our consciousness split, we moved from inhabiting our hearts to glorifying our minds. Perhaps this disconnect can illuminate some clues for us to consider to reclaim more balance within our hearts, ourselves, and our world.

Vibrationally, the heart contains the strongest electromagnetic field of any organ in the body. Transference of heart energy can occur in close proximity with another human or animal; and if you apply the theories of quantum entanglement and wave function collapse, transference of heart energy can resonate beyond space or time. Plants and the elements, too, can have a positive entrainment effect on the heart, reiterating the interconnectedness of all life and the organic balance nature engenders. In both traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicines, the heart is the mind. In TCM, grief is stored in the lungs and closely related to the heart. The Hopi defined harmony as one’s heartbeat in resonance with others and the Earth.

Our liberation is tied to the heart. The cost of liberation is unique to every person and is cosmically linked to each of us. The price of liberation varies for each individual, but we are given choices: in what we think, what we feel, what we believe, how we want to be. The inability to see choice is the unconsciousness of the fear-based toxic masculine that seeks to keep us disconnected and disempowered.

Our liberation depends largely on our ability to love unconditionally. Unconditional love means loving without circumstance or codependence. This can take different forms, from exiting a toxic relationship to taking more care of yourself. And it doesn’t stop there. If you want to get really free, you have to love yourself no matter what, and love all beings no matter what. Tall order? Yes. Impossible? No! While humans are conditioned to be in separation, plants (and animals) hold only unconditional love for all life. There are people on this Earth who radiate unconditional love, and when you are in their company, your heart is completely relaxed and open. For instance, my heart feels completely free when I am with people and animals who love me unconditionally. My heart also feels free in this way when I am in nature. Can you think of anyone who loves you unconditionally? Or perhaps it’s easier to think of an animal or pet? What if you loved yourself and everyone like that? What if you loved all your uncomfortable parts, illnesses, and neuroses like that?

EXERCISE: Making a Rose Essence and Heart Breathing Exercise

There are a few plants whose application is almost universal, and the rose is one such flower. Roses hold the frequency of unconditional love and have an affinity for the heart chakra. This ritual works best with either a wild growing or organically cultivated rose; it can be any species within the Rosa genus. Some of the lower vibratory states that can be addressed with rose include grief, loss, heartbreak, depression, and panic.

This ritual is very simple. You’re going to combine the process for making your own medicine (see a simple how-to video here) using the rose of your choice, with the heart breathing exercise that follows. The heart breathing can be done while the flowers are in the water, working their magic. The heart energy you engage during the medicine-making process will become part of the energetic signature of your flower essence. After you bottle it and make the dosage bottle, take a few drops and see what you notice around your heart. Be sure to notate your findings. You now have a rose flower essence for your apothecary whenever you or someone else needs it.

HEART BREATHING RITUAL

After you have placed the flowers in the bowl with the water, sit comfortably on the ground, if possible. Close your eyes or set your gaze low. Place both hands over your heart and begin to breathe into the heart space. Visualize the rose you are working with. Notice how the breath moves in and out of the heart—not forcing the air, just allowing it to move. See if you can sense into how the heart is feeling—in the front, in the back, all sides. Be sure to breathe into the back of the heart space. Notice how the heart feels when you place your awareness on it. See if it’s okay to allow whatever is arising, witnessing without judgment.

After a few minutes, begin to bring the heart back into a neutral position. Thank your heart and the spirit of rose for sharing with you. Feel your body making contact with the Earth, deepen the breath, and slowly open your eyes.

The video on how to make your own flower essence medicine can be found here.

This is an excerpt from The Bloom Book: A Flower Essence Guide to Cosmic Balance by Heidi Smith.

Heidi Smith Bio

Bloom Book

healing within themselves. She is passionate about engaging both the spiritual and scientific dimensions of the plant kingdom, and sees plant medicine and ritual as radical ways to promote individual, collective, and planetary healing. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her partner and two cats. For more, visit moonandbloom.com.

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Frank Ostaseki: “I’m Allergic to the Notion of a G...

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What truly matters when we face the end of life? After decades of sitting at the bedside of hundreds of dying people, Frank Ostaseski has distilled the deepest human concerns into two essential questions: Am I loved? Have I loved well?

This week on Insights at the Edge, Tami welcomes Frank Ostaseski—co-founder of America’s first Buddhist hospice, the Zen Hospice Project, founder of the Metta Institute, and author of The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully. Frank brings extraordinary wisdom from his pioneering work in compassionate end-of-life care, along with profound personal insights from his own encounters with heart surgery, strokes, and the transformative vulnerability of being “on the other side of the sheets.”

Join Tami and Frank to explore:

The two essential questions that arise when facing death—and what they reveal about living fully now
Why emotional flexibility is the true condition for healing and transformation
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This conversation is for anyone grappling with loss, change, or the fundamental questions of existence—offering not prescriptive answers, but the profound medicine of honest presence and the recognition that our vulnerability itself is one of our most beautiful human qualities.

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Steven Washington: “My Recovery Is Non-Negotiabl...

Steven Washington — December 2, 2025

How do we remain committed to staying sober when grief strikes, when stress becomes overwhelming, or when shame threatens to pull us back into old patterns?

This week on Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon welcomes Steven Washington, a former professional Broadway dancer who has transformed his 23-year recovery journey into a powerful practice of embodied healing. Steven is the author of Recovering You: Soul Care and Mindful Movement for Overcoming Addiction and creator of the SWE Studio, an online community offering movement and meditation support for people in recovery.

In this deeply personal interview, Tami and Steven explore:

Why recovery must be “non-negotiable”—with no conditions attached, regardless of life’s challenges
How shame operates as the linchpin of addiction and the healing power of sharing it with trusted others
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How Qigong and embodied practices help regulate the nervous system and process emotions held in the body
The journey from inherited shame to self-compassion and authentic self-worth
Why asking for help—practiced with small things—prepares us for life’s biggest challenges
Developing a personal relationship with a higher power that feels authentic rather than inherited

If you’re navigating recovery, supporting someone who is, or seeking to understand the connection between embodiment and transformation, Steven offers both practical wisdom and profound compassion for the journey.

Note: This interview originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at https://www.join.soundstrue.com

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Healing From The Inside Out: How Yoga Cultivates Emoti...

Amy Burtaine
Michelle Cassandra Johnson — November 27, 2025

Finding mental peace can feel difficult when life keeps pulling your attention in a dozen directions. Your emotions may swing between high and low, and clarity can feel out of reach. Yoga offers more than physical postures, it offers a practice of slowing down, tuning in, and tending to what’s within. Whether you’re struggling with stress, feeling emotionally off balance, or simply needing space to breathe, yoga can support a deeper kind of healing that unfolds from the inside out.

For over 40 years, Sounds True has served as a trusted source for spiritual education and personal growth. We share practices that are rooted in authentic wisdom and designed for real, everyday lives. Our collection of digital courses, audio programs, and teachings from renowned guides such as Tara Brach, Eckhart Tolle, and Pema Chödrön reflect a living library of transformation, created to support your journey back to wholeness.

Key Takeaways:

Practice & Presence: Yoga offers tools to process emotions and calm the mind through movement, breath, and awareness.
Science & Soul: Evidence supports yoga’s ability to reduce stress while honoring its deeper spiritual roots in healing.
Sustainable Healing: Ongoing, compassionate practice encourages emotional resilience and lasting mental clarity.

How Yoga Supports Mental And Emotional Well-Being

Yoga’s influence goes far beyond the physical body. For many, it serves as an anchor through emotional storms and mental overwhelm. To understand how yoga for mental health can become part of your healing journey, let’s explore its core contributions:

A Holistic Practice That Meets You Where You Are

Yoga isn’t just movement, it’s a conversation with your inner world. It brings together the breath, body, and mind to create space for awareness, without pressure to perform or change. In that space, emotional patterns can soften, revealing clarity beneath the noise.

Scientific Support For Emotional And Mental Relief

Research continues to affirm what many practitioners intuitively feel. Regular yoga practice has been shown to reduce stress hormones, increase calming brain chemicals like GABA, and regulate the nervous system. This makes it a gentle, sustainable approach to both yoga and mental health.

Emotional Balance Begins With Compassionate Awareness

One of the most powerful aspects of yoga for emotional balance is its ability to foster self-compassion. When we step onto the mat with whatever emotions are present: anxiety, grief, joy, or numbness, yoga teaches us how to stay connected without judgment. Over time, this builds emotional resilience rooted in presence rather than resistance.

From Temporary Relief To Lasting Inner Stability

The effects of yoga can feel subtle at first, but they ripple outward. A consistent practice doesn’t just offer short-term calm; it strengthens your ability to self-regulate and respond, not react. This is how inner healing yoga supports transformation from within, one breath at a time.

The Science And Spirit Of Yoga For Mental Health

Yoga’s unique power lies in its ability to bridge ancient wisdom with modern understanding. While it has spiritual roots that invite deep introspection, it also holds measurable benefits for mental health. To fully appreciate the role of yoga in emotional and psychological well-being, it helps to look at both perspectives side by side:

What Modern Research Reveals

Scientific studies continue to explore the mental health benefits of yoga. Results point to improved mood, reduced anxiety and depression, and enhanced emotional regulation. These outcomes support the growing use of yoga for mental health in therapeutic settings, including trauma recovery and stress management.

Why The Subtle Body Matters

In yogic philosophy, healing isn’t limited to the physical or even the psychological. The concept of prana, or life force, helps explain why movement and breath can shift emotional states. Practices that work with subtle energy including inner healing yoga, help release stored tension and clear emotional blockages.

Balancing Effort And Surrender

Yoga invites a delicate interplay between strength and softness. In doing so, it mirrors the healing process itself: part discipline, part letting go. This balance nurtures the experience of mental clarity through yoga, creating the conditions for stillness to arise naturally.

Explore Further With Embodied Resources

If you’re curious to deepen your connection to body and breath in a supported way, Sounds True offers a wide range of practices through yoga and movement. These digital programs are led by teachers who blend somatic wisdom with grounded guidance, meeting you right where you are.

Cultivating Emotional Balance Through Movement And Breath

Our emotions live in the body. They’re not just mental states but physical experiences, tightness in the chest, heaviness in the limbs, or fluttering in the gut. Yoga helps us move these feelings through instead of holding them in:

The Body As A Gateway To Emotional Awareness

Movement can unlock what words cannot. Through intentional poses, especially those that open the hips, heart, and spine, yoga supports the release of stored emotions. This is why yoga for emotional balance feels less like escape and more like a homecoming.

The Breath As Regulator And Messenger

Breathwork, or pranayama, is a powerful tool for emotional regulation. By consciously slowing the breath, we calm the nervous system and shift our state of mind. Over time, this supports both yoga and mental health by creating internal space for reflection rather than reaction.

Rhythmic Practice Builds Emotional Resilience

Consistency is key. Even short, daily practices help build the emotional strength needed to navigate life’s ups and downs. This steady rhythm reinforces the benefits of inner healing yoga, creating a supportive foundation for deeper personal work.

Supportive Tools For Emotional Healing

For those looking for gentle guidance, the yoga for your mood deck offers intuitive prompts and accessible poses to meet you where you are emotionally. It’s a helpful companion for days when you’re not sure how to begin but know you need something.

Accessing Mental Clarity Through Yogic Presence

Mental clarity often feels just out of reach in a noisy world. Yoga creates the internal conditions that allow clarity to surface, not by forcing it, but by slowing things down. When the body is calm and the breath is steady, the mind can begin to clear:

Slowing Down To See Clearly

Yoga encourages us to pause and notice. Whether you’re holding a posture or sitting in stillness, these moments of mindful presence quiet the mental chatter. This process is central to experiencing mental clarity through yoga, where insights arise not from thinking harder but from thinking less.

Meditation And Stillness As Deep Practices

While movement helps discharge tension, meditation helps us see beneath it. Even a few minutes of seated awareness can reveal thought patterns and emotional loops we didn’t realize were there. These practices are integral to both yoga for mental health and long-term emotional wellness.

The Restorative Power Of Rest

Rest is not a luxury, it’s essential for mental clarity and nervous system repair. Deep rest practices like Yoga Nidra offer profound restoration. For an accessible entry point, explore yoga nidra—the sleep yoga, which gently guides you into deep states of awareness without effort.

Clarity As A Byproduct, Not A Goal

Yoga doesn’t chase clarity. It invites you to create the right internal environment and let clarity arise in its own time. Over time, this approach nurtures both inner healing yoga and sustainable mental clarity rooted in presence.

Inner Healing Yoga As A Path To Wholeness

Healing is not always about fixing what’s broken. Often, it’s about remembering what has always been whole beneath the layers of stress, pain, and disconnection. Inner healing yoga invites this remembering through intentional practice and self-inquiry:

Creating A Safe Space Within

The mat becomes a mirror. Each posture, breath, and moment of stillness offers a chance to meet yourself with honesty and care. This safe internal space nurtures the emotional awareness essential for lasting transformation.

The Power Of Self-Compassion

Yoga teaches us that healing is not linear. There will be days when the mind is foggy, the body is tense, or emotions feel overwhelming. Returning to your practice anyway builds trust, in yourself, and in the process of yoga for emotional balance.

Integration Beyond The Mat

The most meaningful shifts often happen after practice, in how we speak to ourselves, how we move through relationships, and how we respond to life. This is the deeper work of yoga and mental health, where practice becomes a lived experience of wholeness.

An Ongoing Invitation To Go Deeper

Inner healing is not a destination. It’s a continuous invitation to be in relationship with yourself as you are right now. As your awareness grows, so does your capacity for mental clarity through yoga, clarity rooted in self-understanding, not perfection.

Final Thoughts

Yoga invites a return to ourselves. It doesn’t demand that we change who we are, but gently guides us to remember what already lives within us, clarity, calm, and connection. Whether you’re seeking stillness, release, or simply a moment to breathe, yoga offers the tools to support your healing from the inside out.

As you continue exploring the path of yoga for mental health, you may find that what once felt like emotional chaos begins to soften into something more spacious. With consistent practice, both yoga for emotional balance and inner healing yoga can become steady companions in your life. The clarity that arises is not forced but welcomed, cultivated through each breath, each pause, each mindful moment.

To deepen your experience, you might consider joining the global celebration of yoga through the international day of yoga offerings by Sounds True. These resources, created by trusted teachers and rooted in heart-centered wisdom, are here to support your personal journey, one that honors where you are and gently points toward where you’re going.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Yoga For Mental Health

What type of yoga is best for mental health?

Gentle, breath-focused styles like Hatha, Yin, and Restorative Yoga are especially beneficial for mental health, as they calm the nervous system and promote inner stillness.

Can yoga replace therapy or medication for mental health conditions?

Yoga can be a powerful complement to therapy or medication, but it is not a substitute. Always consult a healthcare provider for individualized treatment plans.

How often should I practice yoga for mental health benefits?

Even 10 to 20 minutes daily can support mental and emotional wellness. Consistency matters more than intensity when it comes to cultivating inner balance.

Is it normal to feel emotional during or after yoga practice?

Yes, emotions can rise during yoga as physical movement and breathwork unlock stored tension. This is part of the body’s natural release and healing process.

Can beginners benefit from yoga for mental clarity and emotional healing?

Absolutely. No advanced skill is needed to start. Breath awareness, simple movements, and mindful rest can offer noticeable benefits, even for beginners.

What role does community play in yoga for mental health?

Practicing in community, whether in-person or online, can enhance feelings of support and connection. Shared practice helps reduce isolation and deepens healing.

How does yoga support nervous system regulation?

Yoga helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system through slow breathing and mindful movement, promoting a state of rest, recovery, and emotional stability.