Simple Practices | Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh on Mindful Breathing and Walking

from the chapter

Breathing With the Planet

"The foundation of all mindfulness practice is awareness of the breath. There is no mindfulness without awareness of our in-breath and out-breath.  Mindful breathing unites the body and mind and helps us to become aware of what is going on inside us and around us. In our daily life, we often forget that mind and body are connected. Our bodies are here but our minds are not. Sometimes we lose ourselves in a book, a film, the Internet or an electronic game, and we're carried off, far away from our body and the reality of where we are.  Then, when we lift our head out of the book or look up from the screen, we may be confronted with feelings of anxiety, guilt, fear or irritation. We rarely go back to our inner peace, to our inner island of calm and clarity, to be in touch with Mother Earth."

"Awareness of the in-breath and the out-breath first of all calms us down. By paying attention to your breathing, without judgement, you bring peace back to your body, and release the pain and  tension. You can say,

Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, my body is at peace.
Breathing in, I take refuge in Mother Earth.
Breathing out, I release all my suffering to the Earth."


Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the best known Buddhist teachers in the world today. His best-selling books include The World We Have and Being Peace. He lives in Plum Village, a monastery in southwest France and travels throughout the world leading retreats on the art of mindful living.

Thich Nhat Hanh talks about mindful walking in this 4 minute video. Enjoy.