Thursday 20 November 2014

Bees and dogs and dancing kids...

"Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment."

I was given this simple mantra 18 years ago by my then yoga/shiatsu teacher, Takao Nakazawa. It is a mantra originally created by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk/poet, Thich Nhat Hanh, a beautiful soul who writes simply and evocatively about meditation and mindfulness practice in our daily lives. This mantra focuses the mind on the breath and staying present in this very moment- not in the past, and not way off in the future - but here now, with the breath and who we are in this moment. 


It is powerful in it's simplicity - I have used this mantra in so many different circumstances to bring me back to myself, to help  clear away the unnecessary stories and chatter that can fill my mind and create distraction, worry or stress. I have used it whilst driving in busy traffic with a tantruming child in the back seat; just before a giving a shiatsu; trying to write a blog(!); and there have been times when I've woken in the night, to find that the 'great whale of doom' has swallowed me whole and the only thing that drags me out of it's belly is repeating this mantra and following the breath. 



What is the power of this mantra? Yes, it most definitely is the breath. The breath that brings us back into the body, back to our essence. But, it isn't only the physicality of our breath, it is what the breath is. It is our present moment. We aren't feeling our breath from the past or our breath from the future - we can only experience the breath right now, in the present. When we think of the past we can be filled with anger or sadness or grief, and when we project into the future, worry and fear loom over us in a nebulous cloud of 'what ifs'. But right now? Right now with the breath is ok. Right now doesn't have all the past's baggage or all the future's fears. It just is you with the breath and your very own infinite potential. It feels free and wild and calm and empty and full, all at the same time. It opens my eyes and ears and senses to everything within and around me: a bee on a dandelion flower, Maggie's joy as she swims, the beauty of a path full of gum leaves, my chest filled with laughter as Jinesh and Indigo dance....


So I take this opportunity to thank Thich Nhat Hanh for giving this beautiful mantra to us all - for giving us a simple tool to get back to the essence. He has touched many people with this act of generosity. Just over a week ago, Thich Nhat Hanh suffered a brain haemorrhage in France. As of yesterday, he seems to improving, showing attentiveness and strength - which is quite amazing for a man of 88. I dedicate my practice to him and his healing...he truly is a gift to the world.




No comments:

Post a Comment