YOGA AT WORK: How Spiritual Practice Affects Our Lives

Meditation Gardens: A Path to Practice

An Interview with Sue Evanicky

Gardens have 
been created

 and 

used as a refuge 

for peacefulness 

throughout history 

and show up in 

almost all reli-

gions and spiritual 

settings as an invita-

tion to the seeker to come and sit in 

the wonder and beauty of the natural 

blessings that surround us. Parama-

hansa Yogananda established many 

meditation gardens in the early 1900s, 

as he grew the foundational teachings 

of Kriya Yoga in the West and often 

spent time not only meditating there, 

but also writing.  

CSE staff member, Sue Evanicky, 

leads the volunteer Garden Team as 

well as heads the Accounting Depart-

ment. She has been working at CSE 

for the past seven years. During her 

tenure as lead for the Garden Team, 

the meditation garden has come into 

full bloom as a refuge of peace and 

presence. Enlightenment Journal spoke 

about the garden at CSE and her 

spiritual practice. When asked what 

most inspires her gardening service, 

she shared: “There is a grace that flows 

through here on our ‘garden days.’ I 

love working with the volunteers and 

am very grateful for the wonderful 

teamwork. There is a depth and energy 

to the gardens, a physical presence. I 

love to walk through these gardens and 

reminisce about the volunteers who 

have served, throughout the years, all 

the serving hands.”

How does your role as lead gardener 

at CSE influence your spiritual  

practice?

“My role is really a philosophy of 

service—providing a service (the 

gardens) that are a tool and can benefit 

so many.

Plants offer nourishment—to the air, 

the ground, to souls. Sitting in any of 

our meditation gardens you can feel 

nature cocoon you. You’ll hear and 

feel all sorts of things—the birds, the 

crickets, the wind. Allow it to happen, 

let go. Gardens will heal you, caress 

your soul, listen to your sadness and 

rejoice in your joy. The Earth is our 

Mother. Let it heal you.”

The CSE Meditation gardens are open to the 

public, seven days a week, from dawn to dusk. 

Silent places for meditation, a labyrinth, a walking 

path for contemplation, a flowing water garden, 

fountains and a sunny courtyard with posted daily 

inspirations are some of the offerings you will find 

in this sacred place.