Guidance from Thich Nhat Hanh

[Sheila]

Received by email. . .

In teaching an introduction to meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh (author of Peace at Every Step) offers this mantra to go with controlled breathing:

“Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile.” As he develops this meditation technique, he offers advice later about what to do when there are “knots” that seem to preclude us smiling as a natural motion. In his book of daily readings entitled Your True Home, his offering for July 15th encourages us:

“When you walk in the hills or in a park or along a riverbank, you can follow your breath with a half-smile blooming on your lips. When you feel tired or irritated, you can lie down with your arms at your sides, allowing all your muscles to relax, maintaining awareness of your breath and your smile. Relaxing in this way is wonderful, and quite refreshing. You will benefit a lot if you practice it several times a day.”