Stop and Smell the Roses ~

We live in a world of instant gratification. Years ago, people spent time, days or weeks, waiting for “snail mail” – which was the most reliable method of communication. As a kid, I remember my oldest cousin heading out boot camp in 1990 (he had enlisted in the Marine Corps) and we would wait for what seemed like forever to hear from him via letters. Fast forward to 2012 – my baby cousin enlisted in the Army and his unit had a Facebook page. So we not only knew he was fine, but we got to see pictures of him at basic training on almost a daily. My, how times have changed.

Americans are constantly on the go and the demands on our time are many. We get wrapped up in our daily lives, rushing from our homes to our jobs, to our kids’ ball games, to make dinner, and all the while answering texts and emails on our cell phones. We don’t have time to smell the roses, we don’t even notice the roses!

Yoga has taught me to live in the moment. Stop. Focus. Inhale. Exhale. Look around for the beauty in the moment, whether it’s the blue skies, the wind in your hair, the scent of honeysuckle growing, or the sound of innocent childish laughter.

Inner peace. It’s priceless.

Mina