Deep Relaxation

Many of us are over-scheduled. Even the lives of our children are over-scheduled. When we can allow ourselves to rest and relax, healing becomes possible. There is no healing without relaxation. In the Plum Village Tradition, we learn the art of being lazy, at least one day a week.

It is possible to practice mindful walking and sitting in a way that we can rest and restore ourselves. We can also take time to completely stop, lie down, and practice a deep guided relaxation or ‘body scan’. In Plum Village centers we offer guided lying-down relaxations of 30 minutes or more in our meditation halls. We are guided to follow our breathing and relax our muscles, allowing our body to truly rest.

"We think that when we are not doing anything we are wasting our time, that is not true. Our time is first of all for us to be. To be, to be what? To be alive, to be peace, to be joy, to be loving. And that is what the world needs the most. So we train ourself in order to be. And if you know the art of being peace, of being solid, then you have the ground for every action… because the ground for action is to be. And the quality of being determines the quality of doing. Action must be based on non-action." - Thich Nhat Hanh

In the Buddhist tradition, we speak of “mindfulness of the body in the body” (kāyānupassanā). It means we become aware of the body from within the body, through our felt experience of the body.

In deep relaxation, we may take time to visit each part of our body in turn - the forehead, the jaw, the shoulders, arms, hands, belly, and so on - gently allowing that part of our body to release any tension that is there. We may take particular themes to contemplate the body, such as compassion, gratitude, wonder, or impermanence.

Relaxation brings peace, happiness and creativity. It is possible to incorporate it into our daily life—taking a moment to completely put down our burdens after a long day at work, or scanning our body for a few minutes before we go to sleep. In challenging situations, 5 or 10 minutes of full attention on our breathing and body in the sitting or lying position, can be very helpful and give us the space and clarity we need to continue.

Please Note: Deep relaxations and body scans often encourage feeling specific areas of the body and cultivating gratitude for them. We are aware that all bodies are different, and plan to record practices that are aware and inclusive of all body types.