Zen Master Shows 5 Ways To Master Mindfulness

Our real home is not in the past. Our real home is not in the future. Our real home is in the here and now. Life is only available in the here and now, and it is our true home. Mindfulness brings us home.

Mindfulness is the energy that helps us recognize the circumstances of happiness that are already present in our lives. You don’t have to wait ten years to experience this happiness. It is present in every moment of your daily life.

There are those among us who are still alive but don’t know it. But when you breathe in and are aware of your inhalation, you touch the miracle of life. Therefore, mindfulness is a source of happiness and joy.

The first exercise is very simple, but the power, the result, can be very great. The practice simply consists of identifying the inhalation as inhalation and the exhalation as exhalation. When you inhale, you know this is your inhalation. When you exhale, you are aware that this is your exhalation.

Just recognize: this is an inhalation, this is an exhalation. Very simple, very easy. To recognize your in-breath as in-breath, you must bring your mind back to yourself. What recognizing your in-breath is is your mind, and the object of your mind – the object of your attention – is the in-breath. Mindfulness is always being aware of something. If you drink your tea mindfully, it is called mindfulness of drinking. If you walk mindfully, it is called mindfulness of walking. And when you breathe mindfully, that is mindful breathing.

So the object of your mindfulness is your breathing, and you simply focus your attention on it. As I breathe in, this is my inhalation. Exhaling, this is my exhalation. When you do that, the mental discourse stops. You don’t think anymore. You don’t have to make an effort to stop your thinking; you bring your attention to your inhalation and the mental discourse simply stops. That is the miracle of practice. You no longer think about the past. You don’t think about the future. You don’t think about your projects because you focus your attention, your mindfulness, on your breathing.

It gets even better. You can enjoy your inhalation. The practice can be pleasant and joyful. A person who is dead can no longer breathe. But you live. You breathe in and as you breathe in, you know you are alive. The inhalation can be a celebration of the fact that you are alive, so it can be very joyful. When you are happy and happy, you don’t feel like you have to put in any effort. I live; I breathe in. It’s a miracle that I’m still alive. The greatest of all miracles is that you are alive, and when you breathe in, you touch that miracle. Therefore, your breathing can be a celebration of life.

An inhalation can last three, four, five seconds, it depends. That’s time to live, time to enjoy your breath. You don’t have to interfere with your breathing. If your inhalation is short, let it be short. If your exhalation is long, let it be long. Don’t try to force it. The exercise consists of simply recognizing the inhalation and exhalation. That’s good enough. It will have a powerful effect.

The second exercise is that as you inhale, you follow your inhalation from the beginning to the end. If your inhalation lasts three or four seconds, your mindfulness also lasts three or four seconds. As I inhale, I follow my inhalation completely. As I exhale, I follow my exhalation completely. From the beginning of my exhalation to the end of my exhalation, my mind is always there. Therefore, mindfulness becomes uninterrupted and the quality of your concentration is improved.

So the second exercise is to follow your inhalation and your exhalation completely. Whether they are short or long, it doesn’t matter. What is important is that you follow your inhalation from beginning to end. Your consciousness is retained. There is no interruption. Imagine breathing in and then thinking, “Oh, I forgot to turn off the light in my room.” There is an interruption. Just stay with your inhale the entire time. Then you cultivate your mindfulness and your concentration. You become your inhalation. You become your exhalation. If you continue like this, your breathing will naturally become deeper and slower, more harmonious and peaceful. You don’t have to put any effort into it; it happens naturally.

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The third exercise is to become aware of your body as you breathe. “When I breathe in, I am aware of my entire body.” This goes one step further.

In the first exercise you became aware of your inhalation and your exhalation. Because you have now generated the energy of mindfulness through conscious breathing, you can use that energy to recognize your body.

“When I breathe in, I am aware of my body. As I breathe out, I am aware of my body.” I know my body is there. This allows the mind to fully return to the body. Body and mind become one reality. When your mind is with your body, you are well anchored in the here and now. You are fully alive. You can get in touch with the wonders of life that are available within you and around you.

This exercise is simple, but the effect of the unity of body and mind is very great. We rarely find ourselves in that situation in our daily lives. Our body is there, but our mind is somewhere else. Our minds can be trapped in the past or in the future, in regret, sadness, fear or uncertainty, and so our mind is not there. There may be someone in the house, but he is not really there, his spirit is not there. His thoughts are on the future, on his projects, and he is not there for his children or his husband. Maybe you can say to him, “Is anyone home?” and help him bring his mind back to his body.

So the third exercise is to become aware of your body. “When I breathe in, I am aware of my body.” When you breathe mindfully, the quality of your inhalation and exhalation is improved. There is more peace and harmony in your breathing, and if you continue to practice like this, the peace and harmony will permeate the body and the body will benefit.

When you breathe mindfully, you simply allow your inhalation to take place. You become aware of it and enjoy it. Effortlessness. The same applies to conscious walking. Every step is enjoyable. Each step helps you touch the wonders of life. Every step is joy. That is possible.

You don’t have to make any effort during the walking meditation, because it is enjoyable. You are there, body and mind together. You live fully, fully present in the here and now. With every step you touch the wonders of life that are within you and around you. When you walk like this, every step brings healing. Every step brings peace and joy, because every step is a miracle.

The real miracle isn’t flying or catching fire. The real miracle is to walk on earth, and you can perform that miracle at any time. Just bring your spirit home, come alive and perform the miracle of walking on earth.

The next exercise is to release tension in the body. When you are really aware of your body, you notice that there is some tension and pain in your body, some stress. The tension and pain have been building up for a long time and our bodies are suffering, but our minds are not there to help release them. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to release tension in the body.

It is always possible to release tension in a sitting, lying or standing position. You can practice total relaxation, deep relaxation, sitting or lying down. As you drive, you may notice tension in your body. You’re eager to arrive and you’re not enjoying the time you spend driving. When you come to a red light, you want it to be red

green light so you can continue. But the red light can be a signal. It can be a reminder that there is tension inside you, the stress of wanting to gain weight as quickly as possible. If you recognize this, you can use the red light. You can sit back and relax. Take the ten seconds when the light is red to breathe mindfully and release tension in the body.

So the next time you’re at a red light, you might want to sit back and practice the fourth exercise: “When I breathe in, I am aware of my body.” As I exhale, I release the tension in my body.” Peace is possible in that moment and can be practiced many times a day – in the workplace, while you drive, while you cook, while you wash the dishes, while you water the vegetable garden. It is always possible to practice releasing tension within yourself.