Breathe, You Are Alive - 20th Edition by Thich Nhat Hanh (Paperback)

About the Book

According to the Buddha's teaching in the Anapanasati Sutra, maintaining awareness of our breathing is a means of awakening to the true nature of all things and arriving at spiritual liberation. "Breathe, You Are Alive" outlines 16 exercises of conscious breathing that were taught by the Buddha, together with commentaries and further exercises for practicing them every day and in any situation. Thich Nhat Hanh's insights and explanation give the reader access to the profound nurturance available when we slow down and get in touch with our in-breath and out-breath. He walks the reader through the progression of exercises -- from awareness of the physical plane, to the mental and spiritual planes -- in a clear and concise manner that is easy to implement. This 20th anniversary edition includes updated commentaries and practices on the awareness of breathing meditation, as well as the author's "Breathing and Walking" Gatha (practice verse) set to music.

Book Synopsis

20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION: Thich Nhat Hanh offers commentary on a key Buddhist sutra and shares 16 breathing exercises and meditations taught by the Buddha himself.

According to the Buddha's teaching in the Anapanasati Sutra, maintaining awareness of our breathing is a means of awakening to the true nature of all things and arriving at spiritual liberation. Breathe, You Are Alive outlines 16 exercises of conscious breathing that were taught by the Buddha, together with commentaries and further exercises for practicing them every day and in any situation. Thich Nhat Hanh's insights and explanation give the reader access to the profound nourishment available when we slow down and get in touch with our in-breath and out-breath. He walks the reader through the progression of exercises--from awareness of the physical plane, to the mental and spiritual planes--in a clear and concise manner that is easy to implement.

This 20th anniversary edition includes Thich Nhat Hanh's most recent commentaries and practices on the awareness of breathing meditation, as well as his "Breathing and Walking" Gatha (practice verse) set to music.

Review Quotes

An essential addition to any Buddhist book collection.
"Midwest Book Review"
An indispensable guide for anyone who wishes to nourish themselves with the peace and joy of a mediation practice."
"Karuna""

"An essential addition to any Buddhist book collection."
--"Midwest Book Review"

"An indispensable guide for anyone who wishes to nourish themselves with the peace and joy of a mediation practice."
--"Karuna"

About the Author

Thich Nhat Hanh was a world-renowned spiritual teacher and peace activist. Born in Vietnam in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. Over seven decades of teaching, he published more than 100 books, which have sold more than four million copies in the United States alone. Exiled from Vietnam in 1966 for promoting peace, his teachings on Buddhism as a path to social and political transformation are responsible for bringing the mindfulness movement to Western culture. He established the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism in France, now the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the heart of a growing community of mindfulness practice centers around the world. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 95 at his root temple, Tu Hieu, in Hue, Vietnam.