The 3 Breathe Practice

Whether you are a beginner or you have practiced meditation for a while, there are days that you will just walk pass your cushion and cannot get yourself to sit on it. I have many days like that, convincing myself I am too busy even for 5 minutes.

Well, I have adopted a 3 breathe practice in my daily life inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh. In his spiritual community, Plum village, they have a mindfulness bell that rings randomly throughout the day. When the bell rings, everyone pause and take a moment to come back to the present. My interpretation in my life, I will take 3 conscious breathe every so often to commit to staying present. For example, waiting in line at the bank, pumping gas, traffic jam, waiting to pick up my kids from school. There are many opportunities for us to take the advantage of slowing down and committing to staying present. 3 conscious breathe is all it takes, even sometimes, I will wonder off after the second breathe. 

Give it a try, it is 5 - 10 seconds of investment a day !!

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh