How To Meditate with Flowers

Did you know that flowers can be the entire focus of a meditation? It’s helpful to have a focus for meditation so that your brain has something to go to other than the millions of thoughts that typically occupy your mind. Meditation is an invitation to slow down and go inward, and meditating with flowers has many benefits including relaxation, stress reduction, less anxiety, and it improves your relationship with yourself. (Disclaimer: Currently these claims are not evidence based, but I’ve seen it work with my coaching clients). To meditate with flowers, follow these simple steps. 

  1. Choose a comfortable space to practice your meditation. It can be the very chair you are sitting in now, it doesn't have to be a fancy setup.

  2. Decide ahead of time how long you will meditate for and set a timer. This ensures you will stick with it and won’t give up when your mind starts to wander (which it almost always will).

  3. Choose the flower or flowers that will be the focus for your meditation. Anytime your mind wanders, return your awareness and attention back to the flower.

  4. Connect with the flower using your five senses, moving from one sense to the next. You can do these exercises with your eyes open or closed. See which works better for you, depending on the exercise.

    1. See

      1. Notice the colors of your flower

      2. Notice the color variations and how the colors are more concentrated in some areas than others

      3. Notice where one flower ends and another begins

    2. Hear

      1. Hear the flower as you move it around next to your ear

      2. Hear the vase against the table

      3. You can even intuitively hear what the flowers are telling you as you go deeper into the meditation

    3. Taste

      1. Only taste flowers you know are edible

      2. Sense the feeling of the petal on your tongue

      3. See if you pick up on the flavor profile of the flower

    4. Touch

      1. Touch the petals and stems

      2. Silently label what you feel: smooth, rigid, woody, etc.

      3. Touch the vase and feel the temperature sensations of the vase compared to the flowers

    5. Smell

      1. Notice the scent of the different flowers

      2. Allow the scent of the flowers to help you breathe more deeply

      3. Notice how some flowers don’t have a scent

  5. You can choose to focus on one of the senses above or you can close your eyes and practice silent meditation, returning your awareness to the flowers anytime your mind wanders.

  6. when your timer goes off, end the flower meditation by Sending gratitude to yourself and the flowers for taking the time to connect and practice meditating with flowers.

If you’d like more guidance and training on how to meditate with flowers, or how to lead a guided meditation with flowers,  join me in one of my coaching programs so you can become certified in Floral Healing! This will give you the confidence and framework to lead guided flower meditations on your own. 

Flowers, Mindfulness, WellnessHeather McFarlandComment