Inspire : The Passing of Thich Nhat Hanh, the father of mindfulness

On Saturday (22/1/22) the revered meditation and mindfulness teacher Thich Nhat Hanh died aged 95. He will be very much missed by his community and those of us who learned so much from his teachings. He was a monk, a scholar and a peace activist who was exiled from his home country of Vietman when he protested about the war. He worked with Martin Luther King Jr to help find a peaceful resolution in Vietnam and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967.

He wrote over 100 books about mindfulness and how to live a contented and fulfilled life. His writing is clear and concise, and his books are full of anecdotes, stories and simple exercises to practise. Although I have only read a handful of his books, I do return to them time and again to enjoy their wisdom both for myself and also to share excerpts and meditations with my yoga students. Some of my favourites are 'The Miracle of Mindfulness', 'Peace at Every Step' and 'The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching'. I do recommend reading some of his work - it will definitely help your meditation practice and help you incorporate mindfulness into your everyday life.

The Dalai Lama wrote in his tribute that Thich Nhat Hanh "lived a truly meaningful life" and that we can all honour him by continuing his work to promote peace in the world.

If you're interested to find out more about Thich Nhat Hanh, his teachings and how he has helped so many people find a sense of inner peace you can go to https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/ or https://plumvillage.org/