The Art of Mindful Living

For more than fifty years, Thich Nhat Hanh has offered a path for bringing mindfulness into daily life in the modern world. His teachings show us how the wisdom of the past can illuminate the challenges of today, offering a way to live with balance, clarity, and compassion.

Mindfulness is an energy we create when we return our awareness to the present moment — to our breath, to our body, and to what is unfolding around us. Each time we do this, we come back home to ourselves, more awake, more alive, more at peace.

This simple energy transforms the ordinary. Washing the dishes, walking to work, eating a meal, or sitting with a friend all become opportunities to touch life deeply. Whether standing, moving, listening, speaking, or resting, mindfulness brings us fully into each experience.

Mindfulness is not something difficult or extra — it is natural, light, and nourishing. The art is in discovering ways to let peace, clarity, and joy flow into everyday life.

And when mindfulness is practiced together in community, it creates a collective energy of presence and compassion that can help heal and transform ourselves and the world.

Walking Meditation

To walk with steadiness and freedom is to step fully into the present. Each step can be a meditation, wherever the path leads us.

Walking mindfully means knowing that we are walking. We move with ease, step by step, aware of the contact between our feet and the ground, and attuned to the rhythm of our breath. By letting go of restless thoughts—our worries about the future, our regrets about the past—we find ourselves arriving in the now, completely present with every step.

As we become aware of each foot touching the earth, we begin to let our breathing guide our movement. Sometimes two or three steps follow an inhalation, then three or four with the exhalation. The number is less important than the harmony we create between breath and stride.

With practice, walking becomes a whole-body experience. Tension in our shoulders and arms can soften, and we begin to notice what a gift it is simply to walk on this earth. Our senses open wide—we hear the sounds around us, lift our gaze to the trees, the sky, or the horizon, and recognize that we have truly arrived in the present moment. Each step can nourish, each step can heal.

“I have arrived, I am home” means: I no longer need to run. I have been running all my life, and now I stop. My destination is here, in this very step. The only true time and place for living is now.
— Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindful Breathing

Every practice of mindfulness begins with the breath. At Plum Village, awareness of breathing and stepping is the foundation — simple, yet profoundly deep.

As we breathe in, we notice that we are breathing in. As we breathe out, we notice that we are breathing out. Allowing the breath to flow naturally can bring calm and ease. We may rest our awareness on the belly or the nostrils, simply observing as each breath enters and leaves. Each inhalation refreshes the body, and with every exhalation, tension gently dissolves.

Following the rhythm of in-breath and out-breath anchors us in the present moment. Breathing this way, we arrive fully in our body, here and now.

The breath is a stable refuge, always available. When regret about the past or worry about the future pulls us away, we can return to our breathing and restore our awareness in the present. This steady ground of the breath supports us through life’s storms.

We don’t need to force the breath. It comes on its own — sometimes short or long, deep or shallow. When we relax into mindfulness, the breath naturally slows, deepens, and carries us back to peace.

Sitting Meditation

Sitting meditation is the art of resting deeply in the present moment. In the Plum Village tradition, we sit not to achieve or perform, but simply to enjoy the act of sitting and breathing, allowing ourselves to settle into peace and ease.

This is not a struggle or a task — it is an invitation to let the body and mind rest completely. We can sit on a cushion, a chair, or in any position that allows stability and comfort. The back is upright yet relaxed, hands resting gently in the lap, and the shoulders, face, and jaw softened with ease. If numbness or discomfort arises, we mindfully adjust without losing touch with the breath.

Once settled, we follow the natural rhythm of the breath. With each inhalation, we can smile to any tension; with each exhalation, we release it. Slowly, the breath becomes an anchor that connects us to our whole body, helping us recognize areas of restlessness or calm.

Sitting also opens a space for emotions to surface. We may feel light and peaceful, or encounter sadness, worry, anger, or loneliness. Whatever arises can be acknowledged with kindness. Breathing with these feelings, we can embrace and calm them, and even begin to understand their roots more clearly.

This practice is deeply nourishing. It allows us to simply “be” with whatever is present, without being swept away by thoughts. As thoughts come, we notice them, smile to them, and let them drift past like clouds across the open sky.

In Plum Village, sitting meditation is often shared in community — in meditation halls or outside in nature. Practicing together generates a collective energy that is strong and supportive, helping everyone to find rest and renewal.

Eating Meditation

With mindfulness, even a simple meal becomes a sacred act. Eating is not just nourishment for the body, but a chance to connect deeply with the food itself and with those around us — family, friends, colleagues, or fellow practitioners on the path.

Mindful eating allows us to recognize the miracle in every bite. We can see the soil, the rain, the sunshine, and the effort of countless hands that brought this food to our plate. Gratitude naturally rises, and we touch the interconnectedness of life with each chew.

Looking more deeply, a cup of tea, a slice of bread, or a single tangerine reveals itself as a messenger of the universe. Eating in this way dissolves feelings of loneliness and helps us experience our interbeing with the Earth and all that sustains us.

As we eat, we can marvel at the simple miracle of our body — the taste buds sensing flavor, and the transformation of food into strength and vitality. At the same time, we may notice habits around food that have been passed down through generations, giving us the opportunity to transform them with awareness.

In Plum Village, before meals it is tradition to pause to recite a contemplation that roots all in gratitude and compassion:

This food is the gift of the earth, the sky, and many living beings, brought to us through love and hard work. May we eat in mindfulness and gratitude, worthy to receive it. May we transform unwholesome states of mind, especially greed, and learn to eat with moderation. May we keep compassion alive by eating in ways that reduce suffering, lessen our impact on the climate, and protect the planet. We accept this food so that we may nurture our community and fulfill our aspiration to serve all beings.

Resting

In a world that rarely slows down, learning to rest is an act of wisdom. When we allow ourselves to pause, to let go of the constant busyness, our body and mind have a chance to heal and renew.

So much of our lives are packed with schedules, obligations, and rushing. Even children are often pulled into this rhythm of constant doing. Yet true rest is not laziness — it is the ground of healing and presence. Without relaxation, there is no renewal.

We can practice rest in many ways: by walking or sitting mindfully, by lying down for a guided body scan, or simply by stopping and breathing deeply. In Plum Village, guided relaxations often last half an hour or more, inviting every muscle to release and the whole body to soften.

We may believe that doing nothing is wasting time, but this is a misunderstanding. To “be” is not empty — it is to be alive, to be peace, to be joy, to be love. And the world needs this way of being more than anything. When we are grounded in being, our actions naturally flow from peace and solidity. The quality of our presence determines the quality of what we do.

“Our time is first of all for us to be. To be, to be what? to be alive, to be peace, to be joy, to be loving. And that is what the world needs the most. So we train ourself in order to be. And if you know the art of being peace, of being solid, then you have the ground for every action… because the ground for action is to be. And the quality of being determines the quality of doing. Action must be based on non-action.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh

Experiencing the Body in the Body

To truly rest, we return to the living reality of our body. Mindfulness of the body means experiencing it directly from within — noticing sensations, tension, and ease as they arise, moment by moment.

In deep relaxation, we can gently move our awareness through the body — forehead, eyes, jaw, shoulders, arms, hands, chest, belly, legs, and feet — softening each place as we breathe. This simple act of visiting each part brings release, ease, and a sense of being fully present.

We may also take themes of contemplation, such as gratitude, compassion, or impermanence, and allow them to infuse our awareness of the body. In this way, our physical form becomes a field of insight and renewal.

Relaxation nourishes peace, joy, and even creativity. It can be woven into everyday life — a body scan before sleep, a pause after work to lay down burdens, or a few mindful minutes in a chair during stressful times. By giving attention to our body and our breath, we create the clarity and spaciousness needed to meet life with steadiness.