Thich Nhat Hanh

While we practice conscious breathing, our thinking will slow down, 
and we can give ourselves a real rest. Most of the time, we think too 
much, and mindful breathing helps us to be calm, relaxed, and 
peaceful. It helps us stop thinking so much and stop being possessed 
by sorrows of the past and worries about the future. It enables us to be 
in touch with life, which is wonderful in the present moment.

Of course, thinking is important, but quite a lot of our thinking is 
useless. It is as if, in our head, each of us has a cassette tape that is 
always running, day and night. We think of this and we think of that, 
and it is difficult to stop. With a cassette, we can just press the stop 
button. But with our thinking, we do not have any button. We may 
think and worry so much that we cannot sleep. If we go to the doctor 
for some sleeping pills or tranquilizers, these may make the situation 
worse, because we do not really rest during that kind of sleep, and if 
we continue using these drugs, we may become addicted. We continue 
to live tensely, and we may have nightmares.

According to the method of conscious breathing, when we breathe in 
and out, we stop thinking, because saying "In" and "Out" is not 
thinking-"In" and "Out" are only words to help us concentrate on our 
breathing. If we keep breathing in and out this way for a few minutes, 
we become quite refreshed. We recover ourselves, and we can 
encounter the beautiful things around us in the present moment. The 
past is gone, the future is not yet here. If we do not go back to 
ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.

When we are in touch with the refreshing, peaceful, and healing 
elements within ourselves and around us, we learn how to cherish and 
protect these things and make them grow. These elements of peace are 
available to us anytime.