By just taking a breath you're moving into attention a little bit and so you get much less caught up in reactivity. A practical application of this in your life is, never say anything before you've taken one breath. It's a very simple practice--changes the dynamics of conversation with other people completely.

I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex.

Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.

Some of life's best pleasures are simplest ones. Enrich your life with more of them and your heart will be happy.

Simple ways to have a peaceful moment:

• Close your eyes and just breathe for two minutes.
• Leave your phone in another room for an hour.
• Watch a cloud form and then dissolve.
• Stand in the sunshine and notice how it warms your skin.
• Light a candle and watch the flame dance.

To the Technocrats: Have mercy on us. Relax a bit, take time out for simple pleasures. For example, the luxuries of electricity, indoor plumbing, central heating, instant electronic communication and such, have taught me to relearn and enjoy the basic human satisfactions of dipping water from a cold clear mountain stream; of building a wood fire in a cast-iron stove; of using long winter nights for making music, making things, making love; of writing long letters, in longhand with a fountain pen, to the few people on this earth I truly care about.

Remembering the pleasures I enjoyed, I renew them, and I laugh at the pains which I have endured and which I no longer feel.

When life becomes too complicated and we feel overwhelmed, it’s often useful just to stand back and remind ourselves of our overall purpose, our overall goal. When faced with a feeling of stagnation and confusion, it may be helpful to take an hour, an afternoon, or even several days to simply reflect on what it is that will truly bring us happiness, and then reset our priorities on the basis of that. This can put our life back in proper context, allow a fresh perspective, and enable us to see which direction to take.

Pause and try this simple practice from Thich Nhat Hanh:

“Breathe in, and close your eyes.

Breathe out, and smile.”

Each of us found pleasure, whenever possible, in focusing on one small task. One task, we often said, clears the mind.

But I need solitude — which is to say, recovery, return to myself, the breath of a free, light, playful air.

How to find pleasure in common things.

Sometimes you have to unplug
yourself from the world for a
moment, so you can reset yourself.

When life is foggy, path is unclear and mind is dull, remember your breath. It has the power to give you the peace. It has the power to resolve the unsolved equations of life.