Breathe, You Are Alive!: The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing

by Thich Nhat Hanh

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1888375841
• ISBN13: 9781888375848
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Parallax Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Fundamental

This book is very important for those who wish to explore the practicals of meditation. This will serve as a good introduction as well as a trustworthy guide throughout one's journey. It is well worth the price and the effort. Practice practice practice!

Simple yet , Profound...Appropriate for the Novice or the Pro!

Whether you've been meditating for a week or 25 years, this book provides profound methods for a progressive meditation practice in a very small package. At just over 100 pages, Breathe, You Are Alive, walks the reader through a sixteen part progression of awareness from the physical plane, through the mental and spiritual planes in a clear and concise manner that is easy to implement. Be warned that enlightenment is not just a hundred page book away, but if you want to make real progress on the path, this book is a good investment.

Lots of great content

The book is very well written. It's clear, structured, and comes with practical examples. The author recommends using the content in every day life, and guides you to that goal. If practiced, clearly, this book provides a wealth of positive effects.

Calm down

I myself am not really a Buddhist. I do find myself leaning in that direction, more and more, in a lot of ways -- but Buddhist beliefs are not a prerequisite for benefitting from this book. Whether you are a Buddhist or not, there's a lot to be gained from working through the exercises included herein. The value of this book to me, is the way it combines mindfulness with breathing. Awareness guiding the body to calm, can lead the body to reciprocally calm the mind, in an ongoing cycle. If you wish to make this cycle part of your daily existence, this book can really help.If you come to value this book, and are looking for similar techniques, ideas, etc., I would like to recommend "The Quiet Mind" by White Eagle, or "The Relaxation Response" by Dr. Herbert Benson.

Essential reading for the meditating practitioner

This sutra (along with the four foundations of mindlfullness) is a text on how to utilize mediatation to become enlightened. I keep this book next to my bed so I can read a passage from time to time to reinforce my meditation practice. These days there are so many books on how to meditate, why not read a book on meditation by a a master from 2600 years ago translated by one of the modern day living representation of the same master.