Flowers Speak to Us

Several years ago, I was training to become a yoga teacher. One weekend during our training, it was my turn to lead the class through a series of movements. I remember being absolutely terrified.

I knew the sequence. I knew my cues. I had practiced and prepared. But standing at the front of the room, guiding everyone else, felt like a very different thing.

Before I get too far, a little backstory.

Each weekend, one of our more experienced and nurturing teachers would bring fresh flowers from her garden. They were always beautiful, and we looked forward to seeing what she would arrive with. The flowers would sit right at the front of the room where we could see them all weekend during our practice.

That particular weekend, she brought tulips.

They were gorgeous—some already open and others still tight buds, just beginning to show their color. She placed them in their usual spot at the front of the room.

When it was my turn to teach, the tulips were right beside me.

I had started the class and things were going okay. I seemed to know what I was doing. I guided everyone through the standing portion of the sequence and then into the seated series.

I sat down with my legs crossed and began cueing a gentle spinal twist. One leg crossed over the other, my back twisting in the opposite direction, my eyes looking over my shoulder.

The room was quiet.

I was almost finished.

And then I heard it.

The smallest sound—pop.

I looked down beside me and saw that one of the tulip buds had burst open.

I had never heard a flower open before.

But in that moment, it felt like a sign. As if the world was gently telling me that I was blooming right alongside that tulip. That I was moving from a place of fear into a place of confidence.

From closed… to open.

Flowers speak to us in quiet ways every day. They remind us to pause. They invite us to slow down. They ask us to tend to them—fresh water, a trimmed stem, a little attention.

And if we’re paying attention, they sometimes remind us of something else too:

We’re blooming as well.