This meditation is based on the teachings of the beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh,
Created in loving remembrance and with reverence for his life and the peace he brought to the world.
To read more about this and other meditations,
Please visit the book Present Moment,
Wonderful Moment by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Begin by moving into a comfortable seated position where you can fully relax your body,
Keeping your spine upright so that your breath can move with ease.
This will be a breathing meditation.
We begin by taking a breath in.
Breathing in,
I calm my body.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know that this is a wonderful moment.
Breathing in,
I calm my body.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Breathing in,
I calm my body.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Breathing in,
I dwell in the present moment,
Not thinking of anything else.
I know where I am.
Breathing out,
I know this is a wonderful moment.
I feel the joy of sitting.
I feel the joy of breathing at ease.
I return to myself.
Thich Nhat Hanh taught that the Buddha,
In the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing,
Or the Anapasati,
Proposed sixteen exercises to breathe consciously.
Those sixteen exercises are condensed into the following verse.
Keep your focus on your breath and breathe along.
Breathing in,
I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know that my in-breath grows deep.
Breathing in,
I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know that my breath grows deep and slow.
Breathing in,
I feel calm.
Breathing out,
I feel at ease.
With the in-breath,
I smile.
With the out-breath,
I release.
Breathing in,
There is only the present moment.
Breathing out,
It is a wonderful moment.
Keep breathing.
In,
Out,
Deep,
Slow,
Calm.
In,
Out,
Deep,
Slow,
Calm.
In,
Out,
Deep,
Slow,
Calm.
Breathing in,
I nourish the awareness that I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I am aware that I am breathing out.
Deep,
Consciously breathing slowly and deeply.
In,
Out,
Deep,
Slow,
Calm.
Breathing in,
Calm.
My whole body feels calm and at peace.
Breathing out,
Ease.
This is a time only for breathing,
No rushing.
I enjoy the ease.
Breathing in,
I smile,
Opening to joy,
Settling the peace within me.
Breathing out,
I release,
Letting go of pain and suffering.
Breathing in,
I know this is the present moment,
The only moment.
Breathing out,
It is a wonderful moment.
How wonderful to be alive.
This practice,
As Thich Nhat Hanh teaches,
Is not just for beginners.
It is the practice for a lifetime.
Return to it again and again to use your breath to awaken more and more fully to the present moment.
You are here.
