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.

Breathe, You Are Alive!, Thich Nhat Hanh, Parallax Press,
152 pages, Paperback, $16.95

Thich Nhat Hanh has survived three wars, persecution, and more than thirty years of exile. A Buddhist monk, he is the master of a temple in Vietnam, the lineage of which is traceable across two centuries to the Buddha himself. Hanh has written more than 100 books of poetry, fiction and philosophy, wit over a million copies in print. He lived in France and Vermont, He is the author of Living Buddha, Living Christ and Anger.