Mindfulness as Medicine: A Story of Healing Body and Spirit

When a feeling arises and you simply assume it, then you are its victim.

It was so painful that I sat still on the toilet for a long while, breathing and relaxing my body. I thanked my body, “Thank you, my dear, for being able to endure this pain. Thank you.”

This new awareness of my suffering and happiness made it even more isolating and more poignant for me to bear.

When I wake up in the morning, I give myself time to get acquainted with myself. I touch my shaven head to remind myself that I am a monastic practitioner and that I have another day to live in peace and harmony with myself. I massage my face, acknowledging my eyes and giving thanks to my eyes, acknowledging my nose and giving thanks to my nose, an

“In my practice, I’ve learned that my home isn’t in a physical structure, in a roof over my head, or in a particular place in space and time, but home is in the present moment, in the here and the now. Wherever I go, I practice touching home in my steps and in my breath. I practice touching home in Mother Earth, and this practice helps me to dwell

Our Teacher has often said that allowing yourself to rest after lunch is the most civilized thing to do.

As much as I enjoy and cherish my monastic life, the tendency for attachment is still alive in me. In the depth of my peace and quietude, I touch an undercurrent of yearning for someone, a loving look, a handholding, closeness and affection. I sit quietly and breathe with these waves of yearning. Deep in my heart, I know that true love is protectin

I refer to my body as my younger sister or my child. Sometimes I refer to myself as a child to my body.

It is important to continue to live fully and to rejoice in the conditions of happiness and improvement available to us, which give us further strength and energy to take better care of ourselves.

Purity does not mean that you have not gone through any experiences. Purity is a process of purification.” Thay’s teaching that “Purity is a process of purification” has helped me not to have any complex toward myself, my body, or my life. I