Find your zen

Lose your shoes and find your zen. Connect your body and mind with the practice of mediation and yoga in the most serene spots in the Adelaide Park Lands.

Yoga and meditation can play a key role in building strength and resilience. The practice of meditation has been shown to strengthen the immune system and reduces your levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) leading to a lower heart rate and blood pressure. The practice of yoga improves strength, flexibility, endurance and very importantly, sleep quality!

One of the eleven gardens nestled in the walls of the beautiful Adelaide Botanic Gardens is the Garden of Health. Rest your mind among the 2,300 plants of species that have been traditionally used for healing across the globe. Bring a mat and set up beneath the ‘orchard of earthly delight’ and practice Kirtan meditation.

Kirtan meditation is intended to uplift through sound. The practice involves music and singing which can be done alone or in a group. To learn Kirtan, you can venture into North Adelaide to the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga. The school offers free classes, talks and events each week.

Adelaide Botanic Gardens

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Celebrating the relationship between the City of Adelaide the Chinese City of Qingdao, the Veale Gardens are surrounded by red roses which symbolise life and celebration in Chinese culture. Roll out your yoga mat and practice Yin yoga under the watchful eye of the garden’s centrepiece statue ‘Song of the Wind’.

Learn the slow and steady art off Yin yoga at the The Movement Halo on Gilbert Street. The centre offers weekly classes in Yin, and many other styles, teach you the movements and breathing techniques to capture the full rewards of this yoga.

Qingdao Rose Garden

Movement Halo

Step past the ornate gates of the Adelaide Himeji Garden and take a little green getaway to experience the beauty of Japan. The two styles of garden within the walls offer plenty of nooks, ideal for settling into a deep meditation. Sit beside the ‘kare senzui’, dry garden, where patterns combed into the rocks and sand evoke the presence of water, and even the sea itself. Perch on a rock by the water in the ‘senzui’ (lake and mount garden), where the water coupled with your imagination create images of vastness and grandeur.

If you’re looking for a community group nearby to learn how to reach a meditative state, the Minor Works Building Community Centre offer classes.

Adelaide Himeji Garden

Meditation Classes

Minor Works Building Community Centre – 22 Stamford Court, Adelaide 5000

Did you know you don’t have to leave the city to relax on a beautiful island? The lake in Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka, has a lush little island that you can visit by footbridge. Roll out your yoga mat on the island’s grassy banks, enjoy the gentle sounds of the lake and shade of the soaring trees. This is an ideal spot to challenge yourself by practicing yoga barre, a style that will be sure to get your heart racing.

A short walk up Rundle Street is Aleenta Barre where you can learn yoga barre which combines traditional yoga, guided meditation and strength training.

Rymill Park

Aleenta Barre Rundle Street

Enjoy the serenity of North Adelaide’s lush parks and historic buildings, including the St Peters Cathedral. Tucked between lower and upper North Adelaide sits Peace Park. True to its name, with no playgrounds or barbeque facilities, the park is a perfect spot to balance your mind with a meditation. If you need some assistance finding zen and taking in the wonders of the park, use your phone to play a guided meditation.

Peace Park

Headspace App