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Miracle of Mindful Breathing

Thich Nhat Hanh · October 6, 2011 · Blue Cliff Monastery, United States
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Thay teaches that when you love someone, the most precious gift you can offer him or her is your true presence. In the tradition of Buddhist practice, there is a way of breathing in mindfully, or making a step mindfully, in order to bring your mind home to your body and become fully present in the here and the now. When mind and body are together, you are truly there and you can offer your presence to your beloved one. The practice is to be there for ourselves, for our beloved ones, for life.

Thay demonstrates the pebble meditation that was designed for children yet also enjoyed by adults. The four pebbles represent a flower, a mountain, still water, and space, reminding us that we contain freshness, stability, calm, and freedom.

Thay elaborates on nine practices of mindful breathing. Mindfulness is a source of joy because it brings us home to the here and the now where we can get in touch with the many wonders of life that are in us and around us.

This is the second talk of a series of five given during the Stepping Into Freedom, Savoring Life retreat in the year 2012. This talk was offered at the Blue Cliff Monastery, Pine Bush, New York, in the United States.

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