Flower Breath Mindfulness

Every time I walk into a garden, I am gripped with a sense of settling down.

Just walking past green bushes and trees and different varieties of flowers slows down the rushed pace of life for me. I am blessed to live in a place where nature is protected and nourished.

This simple #mindfulness #exercise draws its inspiration from the innate beauty of a flower. It is a reminder to pause to acknowledge nature’s abundance that is available to us.

For this exercise, one needn’t necessarily be in a park or be surrounded by flowers. If that is a choice then it would be lovely to exercise it otherwise one can just be in the comfort of one’s house or workplace and can practice it.

1. Sit comfortably on the floor or if you wish, then sit near a window or in the open.
2. Close your eyes.
3. After a few seconds, visualize a flower bud. (Any soft colour flower of your choice for which you can easily visualize the bud and the full bloom versions of it) I love roses :)).
4. Once you are completely immersed in the visual entirety of the flower bud, gently start breathing in. In the process, imagine the bud slowly opening up into a full grown flower. There is no number or duration limit for inhaling mindfully. Just breathe slower than you usually do at a easy pace.
5. At the full bloom, pause for few seconds while holding the breath to appreciate the beauty of flower. You can even smile or express gratitude to nature or simply imagine smelling the fragrance of the flower.
6. Slowly let go off the breath while visualizing the full bloom flower closing back into a bud again.
7. Repeat for 5 times and then release to open the eyes.

If you are short on time or are stressed or are generally feeling low, try experimenting with this exercise for just 1-2 breaths and see if there is any shift in your mood. Practice it for longer duration at other times.

It is easier to slow down when we fix our attention on some thing. At times, we feel knocked down emotionally and question the conditions that are imposed on us by other people and situations. This practice helps in bringing us back to the present – ‘in the here and now’ and also appreciate the fact that some things are available to us unconditionally and selflessly.

Namaste,

Varuna