07.21.2023 Finding Flow A few years ago, I traveled to Thailand to further my training in Muay Thai. My first session was with Kong, a coach at a local gym on the island of Koh Tao. Throughout our session, he repeatedly barked a string of words and phrases at me. “Breathe!” he yelled. “Flow — like water!” “Clear mind!” I hardly listened to him at first, thinking his exclamations to be arbitrary words of encouragement — clichés even. But whenever I dropped my hands, he’d respond with a jab and another comment. With every misplaced step, he’d sweep my legs and utter another phrase. By the end of our session, the outline of my body was left in sweat along the canvas floor, his words firmly ingrained in my mind.   When we finished, I asked Kong what I was meant to do with his instructions — what action should I take in the midst of the chaos of training?   “Do you know Buddhism?” he questioned.   “I know what it is,” I said, “but that’s about it.” He smiled. “Come back tomorrow — same time. We’ll talk more”.   Without another word, he bowed and walked away. I grabbed my things and headed to the beach. Wading through the water, I felt the sting of salt water in the cuts and blisters I acquired in our session — reminders of mistakes made on the canvas. Kong’s words replayed in my mind. I felt my feet settle in the sand, closing my eyes and drawing in long, deep breaths. I noticed the breeze on my skin and how the water flowed around my legs. For a moment, I breathed in the wind and exhaled the ocean.   I didn’t know it then, but there in the gulf of Thailand I took first steps towards mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork. In the years since, these practices and the teachings of Buddhism have helped me greatly improve as a Thai boxer, extending into the activities of my daily life. At face value, there exists an obvious dissonance between Muay Thai and Buddhist practice; one characterized as violent and the other as peaceful. But each share a common aspiration to be mindful, present, and aware. In each, we awaken to our surroundings, connect to body and breath, and find the ability to “flow like water” (as Kong put it) through the ups and downs of life.  The three teachings below showcase the importance of mindfulness, meditation, and breath in our daily lives. May they help you find the flow this weekend.   —Nicholas Olive, Digital Editorial Intern, Lion’s Roar This Moment is Perfect   No matter what we experience when we’re meditating, it only has meaning when we take it out into our daily lives, shares the late Thich Nhat Hanh. There is nothing we experience that we can’t approach with the mindfulness and compassion we develop in our meditation.   How do we liberate ourselves in order to really be in the here and the now? Buddhist meditation offers the practice of stopping. Stopping is very important, because we’ve been running all our lives, and also in our previous lives. Our ancestors, our grandfather, our grandmother were running, and now they continue to run in us. If we don’t practice, our children will carry us in them and continue to run in the future. ADVERTISEMENT All You Need Is Breath The Buddha taught mindfulness of breathing as a complete approach to awakening. Buddhist teacher Shaila Catherine outlines his 16-step breath practice that guides us to liberation. The Buddha’s practice of mindfulness of the breath does not require extraordinary zeal or physical strength, nor does one need advanced education or ritual blessing. It is recommended for both beginners and accomplished meditators. By skillfully utilizing the natural breath, any person, monastic or lay, can realize the fruit of awakening. The broad appeal and availability of this practice is breathtaking! The Buddha’s Four Foundations of Mindfulness Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi unpacks the Buddha’s original mindfulness manual. The Buddha declared that the four foundations of mindfulness are the “one-way path” for the overcoming of suffering and the attainment of nirvana. The expression “four foundations of mindfulness” refers to the mindful contemplation of four objective domains that, between them, comprise the entire field of human experience: the body, feelings, states of mind, and dhammas, a term I leave untranslated. With regard to each contemplation, the text tells us that the practitioner dwells “ardent, clearly comprehending, and mindful, having put away longing and dejection concerning the world.” These terms indicate that the practice involves not only mindfulness, but the coming together of mindfulness, energy, and discernment, coupled with detachment from the claims of the mundane world. LION’S ROAR PROMOTION New Online Course!