I recently read a story written by a man who had made a trip to Plum Village, the meditation and mindfulness practice center founded by Thich Nhat Hanh in France.  He made the journey there in hopes of learning how to deepen his meditation practice.  He expected he would spend long hours in meditation with the monks, and he envisioned that practice taking up the majority of the time he would spend there.  He was surprised to learn that was not his experience.

During his stay at Plum Village, he observed the buddhist monks who lived there only spending about a half hour a day in sitting meditation.  He asked one of the monks why that was their practice, why – since the center was focused on meditation and mindfulness – only about a half hour a day was devoted to meditation.  The monk replied to him by saying, “You only need to take three breaths to return to the present moment and center in that.  Just three breaths is all it takes, and you can do that whenever you choose, whatever you are doing.”

I have thought about that a lot.  I like to start my day with some quiet time in the morning, time I spend meditating and reflecting.  That period of time is a very valuable part of my day, and I feel like it centers me in a good place and the day that goes on from there is made better for it.

I also strive to practice mindfulness as I move through the different activities and parts of the day.  I know that being fully present in those moments allows me to see and appreciate all that is within them, and it is only in those moments that I experience being fully alive.

I thought about what the monk said.  Just three breaths is all it takes to center in the moment.  I often practice stopping and breathing for a moment periodically during the day, but I had never thought of it in that way before.  Just three breaths.

So I tried it.  Frequently through the day, I would remember “just three breaths”, and I would stop and mindfully breathe in and breathe out for three breaths.  And the monk was right.  It just takes three breaths for me to center in the moment, for me to feel my mind quiet and my body calm.  Just three breaths for me to find again that place of peace.

Doing that made me smile.  I thought, what a beautiful thing!  It is so easy to remember and to practice at any time, no matter where I am or what I am doing.  It is such a simple thing to do this as I live through my day.

Just three breaths.  That’s all that it takes to center in the moment, to calm our minds and bodies, and to experience being alive.  How cool is that?

I hope you stop and take three breaths today!