Slowing Down- How To Stop and Smell The Roses

You’ve heard the phrase, “stop and smell the roses”, but given your hectic pace and daily worries, how often do you slow down and lose yourself in the myriad of details that comprise a rose? Gardeners, particularly those who dedicate themselves to organic methods which teach you how to pay attention to natural conditions, know how to appreciate the fruits of their labor, but most of the rest of us are lucky if we get a small whiff of fragrance or notice a blob of rich color as we rush by. We’ve all bought into the mistaken belief that the only time we can physically and mentally quiet down is during an extended vacation. Yet, a regular class in meditation, yoga, tai chi or even a private yoga therapy session can help you stop and smell the roses that surround you in your daily life.

Meditation is mistakenly perceived as the absence of thought, and with that lofty goal, most of us assume we’ll fail without even trying. I frequently describe meditation as “quieting down enough to notice the subtleties.” Students enrolled in my Mpowerment Meditations course often share that they are better able to recognize their own subtle signs of anxiety, anger or stress in a routine life situation, and thus take a deep breath and approach the situation from a calmer and more productive perspective. They notice themselves pausing to appreciate a sunset or the clouds after a storm or the way that the sunlight plays on the leaves of a tree during their daily walk. They are continually amazed at this unexpected, but profound change in perspective that shows up in their lives from a one hour per week meditation course.

Yoga and tai chi are forms of moving meditations. The presence of movement often provides active minds that one additional point of focus. In addition, yoga and tai chi provide you the opportunity to consciously observe how you react in unusual situations. While practicing balance poses improve physical balance, they are also an opportunity to observe how you react to being off-balance. Do you react with frustration? … with impatience? … or with serenity, as you simply find your center as your body settles in? Consider that you are likely to react the same way to life situations that throw you off-balance.

A private meditative yoga therapy session combines both meditation and yoga into one experience. The session bypasses the intellect and relies on your body as the teacher, so a background in yoga or meditation is not required, and techniques are not taught, but experienced. For this to happen, all you have to do in a private 90-minute session is to deeply relax and notice what is going on within your body as you are stretched, supported and moved in a flowing sequence. Those who claim they can’t quiet their active minds frequently notice subtle colorful light, pleasant tingling, energy and temperature shifts during the session, and report an indescribable sense of peace that remains for days. By passing the self-critical mind, meditative yoga therapy convinces even the doubtful that they can.

This Valentine’s Day as you shop for roses for your loved one, ask the question “do I prefer to give a transient gift of cut flowers or a sustainable, reusable gift?” Consider the gift of meditation in its many forms to support them in learning how to stop and smell the roses that surround each of us at each every moment.
 

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- by Meenal Kelkar, Meditation Facilitator, CYT, CPRYT
- published in Green Home & Family, February / March 2009