Walk as a free Person

A talk by Thich Nhat Hanh

This Morning when i stepped into the prison compound I walked very mindfully.
I noticed that the Quality of the air was exactly like the quality of the air outside.
When I looked at the sky I saw that it was Exactly the same as the sky outside.
when i looked at the grass and the flowers they too looked the same as the grass and flowers outside.
Each step i took brought me the same kind of solidity and freedom that I experienced outside. So there is nothing that can prevent us from practicing Successfully and bringing freedom and solidity to ourselves.
When you walk, Breathe in as you take two or three steps, call the name of someone you love, someone who can bring you a feeling of freshness, compassion and love. With every step Call His or Her Name. Suppose I call the name of David when I breathe in I take two steps and quietly call David David. When I call His n name David will be with me. I walk with Peace and Freedom So that David can walk with Peace and Freedom at the same time with me. When I breathe out I take another two steps and say " Here I am, Here I am" so Not only is David there for me, but i am there for him at the same time. David David Here I am, Here i am I am Entirely Concentrated on the act of Walking and breathing. My mind is not thinking about anything else.
you can call to the Earth, Earth Earth! Here I am Here I am " the earth is our mother and is always there for us she has produced us brought us to life and she will receive us and bring us back again and again countless times. So when i call Earth I call to my awareness that is the ground of m y being. Here I am Here I am.
if you practice like this for a few weeks or months you will begin to feel much better.
The practice is to get in touch with Elements inside ourselves that are wonderful that refresh and heal us. Without mindfulness in our daily life we tend to allow in many elements that are harmful to our bodies and our consciousness. The Buddha said that nothing can survive without food. Our joy cannot survive without food Neither can our sorrow or our despair.
If we have Despair it is because we have fed our Despair the kind of food it thrives on. if we are depressed the Buddha advises that we look deeply into the nature of our depression to identify the source of the food that we use to nourish it. Once the source of the nourishment has been identified cut it off. The depression will fade away after a week or two.
Without mindfulness in our daily lives we feed our anger and despair by looking at or listening to things around us that are highly toxic.
We consume many Toxins each day
what we see on Television or read in magazines can nourish our anger and despair. but if we breathe in and out mindfully and realize that these are not the kinds of things we want to consume then we will stop consuming them.
To live mindfully means to stop ingesting Therse kinds of poisons. Instead choose to be in touch with what is wonderful, refreshing and healing within yourself and around you.

I have a breathing exercise that i would like to offer you. I am sure if you follow this exercise in difficult moments you will find relief.

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.
Breathing in, I notice that my in breath has become deeper. Breathing out, I notice that my out breath has become slower.
Breathing in, i calm myself
Breathing out , I feel at ease.
Breathing in, I smile.
Breathing out, I release.
Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment
Breathing out, I feel it is a wonderful moment.