Stop to Smell the Roses

The roses are blooming in my yard right now.  I love this time of year. The flowers are beautiful explosions of life - the essence of Earth/ Gaia.  When was the last time you stopped to smell the roses?  Your heart is opening now like a glorious flower.  With each day to the amount you allow it your heart opens more and more - like a rose with inner petals that only become visible under the right conditions.  As more light and love are available to you, your heart can soak it in just like a flower soaks in the Springtime sunshine after a long dark winter - to the extent that you allow for it.  Allow is the operative word.  What happens when, instead of worrying about all the things around you (what needs to be completed, what is for dinner, when do you have to be somewhere) You stop, breathe deeply, feel and JUST BE? When you breathe deeply your lungs fill and a release happens.  Grief and sadness stored in the lungs begin to release.  Deep breathing also relieves stress and anxiety due to its physiological effect on the nervous system. Breathing slowly and mindfully activates the hypothalamus, connected to the pituitary gland in the brain, to send out neurohormones that inhibit stress.  When you are relaxed it is easier to be in the present moment.  To just be you, right now and appreciate your many blessings.  This is when we allow that love and gratitude to flow in and the heart opens a little bit more each time. Take the time, many times per day to breathe and connect to the present moment.  You will find your happiness quotient goes up.  
And who doesn't want that?

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