Meditation gardens

There's a retreat coming up soon for the women of my church, which has made me think about adding a spot in my garden that could be used for a sort of backyard spiritual retreat.  Recently I saw this meditation-type design outside a restaurant near Chattanooga, TN.

There's something comforting to me in the symmetry of the circle, and I like how they've planted rosemary around the ring, to have something green and blooming--and even scented--all through the winter.

Now is a good time to look around the yard, while the leaves are off the trees and the shrubs are pruned back, to find a place to add a bench.  I'm thinking you could add other things to a meditation garden, too, like a small statue, a water feature like a fountain or pond, and some shrubbery or small trees to form the walls of an outdoor "room," so you'd have a little privacy.  A chair would be great, too, so you could take a book to read if you're so inclined.