There are so many days that go by so quickly without even noticing everything that we've done during the day.
We have endless to-do lists and we're jumping from one task to another.
And when we have these busy days,
And we keep continuing to have these busy days without slowing down even for a moment,
That could lead to burnout.
So today,
We are going to stop and smell the flowers.
Let's start by taking a nice long,
Slow inhale through your nose.
And on the exhale,
Close your eyes.
Take another nice long,
Slow,
Deep breath in through your nose,
And out through your nose.
Now continue to breathe naturally,
Just in and out.
Slowing down your breath.
Letting go of that to-do list just for a moment.
To be here.
Right now.
Nothing else can wait.
This time is just for you.
So as you're breathing in and out,
Concentrate on slowing down your breath.
You can even put your hand on your heart and just notice the beat there.
But taking this time to slow down,
Level out.
Breathing in and out.
Now I'd like you to visualize a garden.
This garden could be anywhere.
It could be in your backyard.
It could be just in a vast field.
It could be on a roof deck in a city.
This is your garden.
And visualize it now.
Notice all of the flowers,
The plants,
The abundance of colors.
Perhaps there's even some dragonflies or butterflies.
Maybe a fountain.
Just stand there in your garden for a moment and take time to look around.
And as you're gazing over your garden,
Choose a flower.
Perhaps it's a rose,
A daisy,
A tulip,
A sunflower,
Any flower that you love.
Go over to it now and pick it.
Now walk over to a seat in your garden.
That could be a bench or a blanket set up on the ground.
Just something that looks cozy.
And holding onto that flower,
Really notice it.
The color.
The brightness of the green stem.
The shape of the petals.
And now take a moment to imagine what that would feel like.
The silkiness of the petals.
Maybe the stem feels rough.
And now taking it a little further,
Imagine what that flower smells like.
Is it sweet?
Musky?
Now right now take a long,
Slow inhale in.
Just like you were smelling that flower.
And let it go.
Take a nice long,
Slow inhale in again.
Really imagining you are smelling that beautiful flower.
Let it fill up your lungs.
Let it seep into your entire body.
Breathing in deeply.
And exhaling out completely.
Now take one more nice,
Full,
Deep breath in.
And exhale that out.
In the busy chaos of our lives,
Let that flower remind you of all of the beauty that is around you.
And that you can stop and take a moment to pause and smell the flowers any time you want,
Any time you need a break just for you.
And perhaps at some point during your day you might find a flower in your path.
And this can be the reminder to stop.
And actually smell that beautiful flower.
And know that even though life is busy and even though we have so much to do,
Taking time for ourselves is just as important.
Take a nice long,
Slow inhale in one more time.
Exhale that out.
And enjoy your day.
Thank you for meditating with me.
