72 Seasons

I visited OmVed Gardens in Highgate on Sunday as a friend had recommended it to me. She knew it would be right up my street - she was absolutely spot on with that!

OmVed has recently opened in it's current format and if I'm honest is still a 'work in progress' as there's evidence still of quite a lot of construction work going on.

The buildings are hugely impressive though to a really high spec by landscape architect Paul Gazerwitz, in collaboration with Smerin Architects. The finish, interiors and furniture are minimally styled, mostly made of natural materials. Everything is really beautifully curated. The SEED STORE, which apparently has been collected over a long period of time, is gorgeous.

Set on a slope where the old garden centre was, there are a couple of mature ponds, a beehive, lovely rooftop kitchen garden as well as winding paths surrounded by planting from the entrance.

OmVed is open to the public and it's current exhibition by an artist in residence, Vivienne Schadinsky is entitled

Into The Seeds Of Time. Vivienne's work blends her research interests in ecology and sumi-e, the Japanese craft of ink painting.

The work is is inspired by the land, more specifically in this exhibition from beans and seeds. Her work is displayed both in a gallery format (in the main building called the barn) and in the extraordinary green house on translucent organza panels.

What stuck me about her work and this exhibition is the Japanese influences and how much more the Japanese are in tune with the seasons.

In Japan they don't just have 4 seasons but - 72 micro seasons which occur for a few days. These micro seasons are dictated when species of birds arrive, when certain flowers bloom or fruits ripen. Here's a feature I found in the Guardian if you want to read more https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/may/11/how-embracing-72-japanese-micro-seasons-could-change-your-garden-and-your-life.

As our world and seasons are increasingly changing due impact of global warming this is a much better approach.

OmVed is a more mindful approach to growing, eating and ultimately living. They are continuing to work around what grows best at different times of the year in our changing climates.

This is very aligned with yoga. Being more present and mindful in the way we live our lives is proven to be better for our bodies and our minds.

2025 has been the warmest spring on record. I'm sure we're all aware of how dry the grasslands look (several wild fires this week in the London area alone). The leaves have been falling from the trees for weeks and blackberries are ripening early.

I think we should be more mindful of the seasons and embrace the changes. I feel we should all consume more responsibly. As our planet is changing we need to adapt and be more aligned with nature.

Seed & Sowing has been a theme for my last few retreats in the U.K. at PAUS. I am invested into this idea. As 'seeding and sowing' are to me the essence of yoga and in sharing other creative ideas.

I hope to be able to share more with you soon.