Breathing Flowers with Our Hands | Sister Dang Nghiem

Breathing flowers with our hands.

This is a simple practice to check in on your state of mind.

Sit comfortably and rest your right or left hand on your lap or the arm of your chair.

As you breathe in.

Close your hand

gently.

As you breathe out, open and relax your hand.

You can start with one hand and try with both hands

as your ability to maintain your awareness increases.

Your hands are like flowers.

Opening and closing.

Breathing in.

Make a very gentle fist, but don't cause tension.

Breathing out.

Just relax and let your hand open.

See how many breaths you can follow and be aware of.

Most of us are hardly ever aware of our breathing.

We rarely pay attention to it.

Yet our breath is always available to us wherever we are and whatever we are doing.

While at work, sitting in class or listening to someone's sharing.

We can practice following what is happening along with our breathing.

This is the way of training our mind to stay with the body and thus to be more aware.

However, don't give yourself a hard time if you find your mind wandering,

the moment you notice that you've forgotten your breath

is the moment you begin to be mindful again.

Simply continue where you left off.

Being kind and non-judgmental with yourself is also a practice.

Developing your own practice is the center of your healing.

There are many ways to obtain support,

for example, by finding a group of practitioners to sit with in person or online.

While connection to others is important,

it is essential to first and foremost befriend yourself

and your breathing as the foundation of your practice.