Breathe In & Out

Not be trapped in the past that has already gone and not feel anxious for future that has not come yet. Put your awareness on your breathing, and aware of you have been already happy and rich. Focus on your breaths and feel present…

Recently practices such as mindfulness, breathing, zazen, meditation or yoga are getting popular to live yourself. I have tried to do some of them (in progress).

The basic steps are breathe in abdominally (consciousness of the inner part of the lower abdomen, just beneath the navel), breathe in and breathe out. I could do this longer when I am in good condition but not all the time, otherwise I am dominated by thinking. I have been trying to do some practices to keep good feeling longer, and I met good method of Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese zen master, global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered around the world for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace (he was a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize). Also He built a Buddhist monastery Plum Village in south France.

I like to breathe slowly, so that my breathing is long. And I like Toshiro Kato’s breathing method “breathing out/in”. I feel good when I breathe out slowly slowly slowly, and breathe in naturally after full exhalation.
*Mr. Kato tells people are born breathing out with a cry and taking their last breaths when they pass away. I thought Mr. Kato’s method makes sense.

I learned about deeper method from Thich Nhat Hanh, it is imagining a circle when you breathe, very slowly and carefully.

Imagine drawing the half-circle when you breathe in, and imagine drawing the the rest of half-circle when you breathe out. It is important to draw the circle slowly and carefully from the beginning to the end. It is difficult to write it down but more like imagining where your breathe is in the trace of the circle you draw. I think it is better to close your eyes for this method (you should half-open your eyes when you do zazen, it’s called “hangan”).

Tracing my breathe on the circle I draw from the beginning to the end very slowly and carefully, then I feel gentle and calm. Let it be and leave my breathe to do not try to breathe forcibly, then I feel something like “I feel to be kept alive”. I appreciate for everything and I try to enjoy today, it is wonder feelings.

I would like to be in present every moment and live carefully every day　not look back to the past or be anxious about future.

*This method is best for me for now but maybe not for you. Please find your best way.

Thich Nhat Hanh Twitter
https://twitter.com/thichnhathanh

Thich Nhat Hanh facebook
https://www.facebook.com/thichnhathanh/