Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes

Be aware of your breathing. Notice how this takes attention away from your thinking and creates space.

Each full, deep inhale creates more space in your body and mind. Each long, exhale moves you directly into that space. The deeper you breathe, the more opens up. It's like opening a door and walking through with each breath. The fuller your breaths the more and more doors open on up, leaving you with the space to walk on in!

When you get into your car, after you close the door, pause for a few seconds and observe the flow of your breath. Become aware of a silent but powerful sense of presence.

Pay attention to your breathing.

Allow your attention to gently alight on your belly, as if you were coming upon a shy animal sunning itself on a tree stump in a clearing in the forest. Feel your belly rise or expand gently on the inbreath, and fall or recede on the outbreath.

Breathing meditation can quiet the mind, open the body, and develop a great power of concentration.

Our attention to each breath keeps us in the now.

Meditation is not concentration. It is simple awareness. You simply relax and watch the breathing. In that watching, nothing is excluded. The car is humming - perfectly okay, accept it. The traffic is passing - that's okay, part of life. The fellow passenger snoring by your side, accept it. Nothing is rejected. You are not to narrow down your consciousness.

During meditation your metabolism and your breath rate go down to a level of rest, twice that of deep sleep.

We tend to think of meditation in only one way. But life itself is a meditation.

Total relaxation is the secret to enjoying sitting meditation. I sit with my spine upright, but not rigid; and I relax all the muscles in my body.

There are certain ways in which I cultivate awareness, both through mindful yoga and taking care of my body and taking time to actually drop as deeply as possible into stillness, into whatever is unfolding in the present moment.

Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.

I prefer to be in tune with my surroundings and to be aware of things. I like listening to my foot strike and my breathing. It can be quite soothing.

Meditation is about breathing, it's about clarity, taking your time and not rushing through your thinking.

Meditation is practical, simple, and very useful. Taking even 30 seconds to rest your attention on your breath instead of following the cycle of your thoughts can bring you back to you in a heart beat.

Meditating is easier than most people think. Start by focusing and following your breath. The goal is not to eliminate thoughts entirely but to continually return to your breath. Taking this time to relax your mind can help sharpen your focus in other aspects of your work and allow you to work for longer periods of time.

I meditate. Just counting my breath. Before I do anything, really.

Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.

You must be completely awake in the present to enjoy the tea.

Let the breath lead the way.

Meditation means: remain as relaxed as you are in deep sleep and yet alert. Keep awareness there; let thoughts disappear but awareness has to be retained. And this is not difficult: it is just that we have not tried it, that's all. It is like swimming: if you have not tried it, it looks very difficult; it looks very dangerous too. And you cannot believe how people can swim because you simply drown! But once you have tried a little bit it comes easily; it is very natural.

At the moment of waking up, before getting out of bed, get in touch with your breath