Summer is almost officially here and everywhere you look, flowers are in full bloom, trees are leafy, and the weather is just beautiful. Well, all that is true if you are in Southeast Georgia 🙂 If yoga teaches us one thing, it’s that we should stop and smell the roses. We need to stop the hectic and mindless movement that we do throughout the day, and become, if only for a few minutes, mindful to appreciate the beauty and awe around us.
Today couldn’t be a more perfect day. Why? Because, as weird as it sounds, today is National Red Rose Day!
So…go outside and look around you. Go to a local garden and admire the beauty of the Earth and the hard work, tenacity, and tenderness that the gardeners bestowed upon each bud. Paint a picture of a rose or go to a butterfly sanctuary and spot out the magnificent floral. Just take a minute to stop and breathe in the aromatic goodness of the rose.
Speaking of breathing, try this mindfulness and pranayama exercise to fully engage your olfactory senses as well as the limbic system of the brain, which in turn increases awareness, relaxation, and feelings of happiness and love:
- find a rose, or any flower if there are just no roses around
- pick it up (but don’t take it from its home, please!) and look at it. Look at each petal, each vein, and each thorn. Notice your thoughts in regards to what you are seeing.
- Now, feel the petal, the stem, and the leaves. Notice your senses in your hands and on your skin. Is the rose soft? How does it feel when you touch each part of the plant?
- Lastly, smell the flower. Notice your emotions and feelings when you whiff its floral scent. Do you feel happy? Do you feel present? Do memories return to the forefront of your eyes, real as the flower in hand?
- Keep smelling the rose. Let your chest and belly fill with the sweet air of the rose’s identity. Close your eyes and imagine yourself blooming and opening with each breath while your feet (or bottom) stays firmly rooted.
- When you are done, share this experience with a loved one, a friend, or your children!
While the above may seem cheesy, taking some time for a form of self-care, for a silent and simple experience, can do wonders for your health and for your day. It is vital to stop and smell the roses!
Wishing you a happy day!
-Heather
Grow Yoga 