Life Challenges

Creative Ways to Transform Challenges:
Meditating

Present moment, wonderful moment: a meditation Thich Nhat Hahn

Breathing in, I calm my body. Calm
Breathing out, I smile. Smile
Breathing in, I dwell in the present          Present moment
moment.
Breathing out, I know it is a                    Wonderful moment
wonderful moment.

Many people begin to practice sitting meditation with the help of this exercise. Even those who have meditated for many years continue to practice it, because the exercise is so effective.

Breathing in, give complete attention to the in-breath. Wherever in the body the breath may be, feel the calm it brings. Just like drinking cool water on a hot day, feel how the breath cools the inner organs of the body. When practicing meditation, if the body is calm then the mind is calm. Conscious breathing makes the body and mind one. In breathing out, smile to relax all the facial muscles...The nervous system will also be relaxed. The half smile can be seen as a sign of the calm brought by the in-breath, but it is itself also a means of attaining comfort and a clearer awareness of peace and joy. The conscious breathing and smile should be practiced during five, ten, or even fifteen in/out breaths before moving on to the second stage of the exercise.

Stage two of the exercise brings us back to the present moment. By dwelling in the present moment, we put an end to attachments to the past and anxieties about the future. Life is only available in the present. We need to return to this moment to be in touch with life as it really is. To know that we are alive, that we can be in contact with all the wonders within us and around us, this is truly a miracle... This exercise can be practiced anywhere at any time:... whether we are walking or standing still, lying down, or sitting; even when we are working.

The Blooming of a Lotus by Thich Nhat Hanh, Beacon Press Books, Boston, MA,1993, pp. 15-16.

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