The scent of roses represents home for me. I love to splash and rub rose water between my palms before I sit in stillness, meditating on something that I feel evokes my own essence. I find it to be a powerful, self-searching tool that brings clarity to my inner inquiry. 

The alluring fragrance is part of my personal history. My hometown is nestled in the Valley of the Roses in Bulgaria, which produces the most expensive rose oil in the world. It’s a laboring process, taking about 60 to 100 petals to create just a drop of the rich, precious elixir. 

As high-school students, we had to go to the rose fields very early in the morning every spring and not only smell the roses but also pick those prickly beauties. The best time to harvest them, in order to preserve the highest concentration of aromatic oils, is between four and six o’clock in the morning – coincidently the same time when the energy is considered most potent for meditation and yoga practice. 

The flowery scent is my aromatic path to finding my center. I rub it between my fingers, opening my palms as if I am holding again the soft, pink rose, so gentle and precious that I hardly touch it. Breathing deeply and mindfully, the uplifting aroma sends me back in time and space, wrapping me in a feeling of safety, coziness, and sweet childhood. 

Find what evokes that sense of presence for you. It might be a wildflower, a sprig of rosemary, a mint leaf, or simply a drop of your favorite essential oil between your palms. Keeping the bond between the pinkies and the thumbs, let the rest of the fingers open invitingly like a blooming flower in lotus mudra. Allow the fragrance to travel together with your breath, and conquer your senses. Following its path with each inhale and each exhale, notice the sensations the aroma may awaken within. Surrender to them with inquisitiveness but without grasping or attempting to hold onto them. Let them be ephemeral, if they wish, and observe with acceptance their fleeting nature. Keeping the hands in lotus mudra in front of your chest, continue to feel how you are blossoming from the heart, fully present to each inhale and each exhale. 

Make this simple practice a part of your daily routine, immersing yourself in an invigorating aroma, inviting your senses to dance a happy dance with your breath, filled with childhood purity and unburdened curiosity.