[Hope you’re enjoying a sunny weekend. This post is late because the website vanished for a while. All restored, thanks to Paul.]
Today’s words of encouragement are by Thich Nhat Hanh, the venerable Vietnamese monk and Zen teacher [1] —
“The miracle of mindfulness is, first of all, that you are here. Being here is truly very important — being here for yourself, and for the one you love. How can you love if you are not here? A fundamental condition for love is your own presence. In order to love you must be here. Fortunately, being here is not a difficult thing to accomplish. It’s enough to breathe and let go of thinking and planning. Just come back to yourself, concentrate on your breath, and smile. You are here, body and mind together. You are here, alive, completely alive. That is a miracle.”
Such simple instructions, “Concentrate on your breath, and smile.” Nothing more. Sitting upright, feet touching the ground, imagine a silk thread attached to the back of your skull, gently pulling skyward, ever so slightly extending the spine. Nothing forced — attentive yet relaxed.
Eyes closed or partially closed for a soft gaze. Rest your hands comfortably. Now exhale s-l-o-w-l-y. Make a sound as the air escapes, as if blowing out a candle (with pursed lips) or emitting a sigh (with mouth open and a sound coming from the throat).
Repeat three to five times. Let the shoulders soften with each exhale. G-e-n-t-l-y. Notice the full breath cycle.
In-breath [tiny pause] out-breath [tiny pause]. Smile.
Repeat. Follow each breath’s natural flow. No effort needed: the body knows how to breathe. All you do is be present, witness the coming and going of air. When you notice that attention has drifted (which it is guaranteed to do), gently escort it to the next in-breath. Do this again and again for the duration of your meditation time.
All this is probably old hat for you. Yet, this is the essence of mindfulness meditation. Becoming aware, moment by moment, of being alive.
May your heart be filled with light.
[1] The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh. 2012. Shambhala, p. 18.
Dear Peter, your fleeting reference to your vanishing website brought a smile. I wager you did not smile as you looked everywhere for it. Is it harder to be present when life goes awry? Peace and love at Eastertide and Pesach.
Dear Peter, A mutual and treasured friend shared this post with me. I am a Catholic Christian and have been praying with much intention for a deeper spiritual life in order to help overcome sadness and a deep sense of lost direction regarding my work and relationships. In fact, I prayed at Mass only yesterday for wisdom and knowledge about meditation which I feel is a key missing element in my life. I was moved to tears to open this email today. Once again, God shows his faithfulness and ever present presence to aid his children.Feeling blessed to be part of a family of believers. I appreciate your guidance on this website and look forward to getting to know you. So glad you are back! Susan Z.
Dear Susan. Thank you for writing. To me your words speaks to wisdom that transcends all boundaries. Deep down, from before our mothers were born, resides everything we need to live wholesome lives. May you be blessed.
Further to Susan’s comment, here are excerpts from a recent book “Meditate like Jesus” that may be of interest: https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=lang_en&id=wdFTDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=mindfulness,+meditation,+mindful+eating&ots=lAfw9BcI0O&sig=6MgJ2i7yprkmW_UcX7HgfCuxoV0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Dear Peter, I am grateful for letting me know the words of encouragement by Thich Nhat Hanh. And thank you for your instructions ”Concentrate on your breath, and smile”. In my 20ties I have heard these words from my Radja and Kriya Yoga teacher in Ukraine. He was sharing his thoughts about concentrating on the breath, and smile. It took me over 10 years to feel it and to understand it. Thanks to my yoga teachers and you I can now feel the inner smile and have my mind at ease while concentrating on my breath. Thank you from me, my baby and my husband. May you be happy.