05 June 2025

Three Steps Towards Reducing Mental Difficulties

On the Guru Rinpoche day of Saga Dawa, Phakchok Rinpoche reminds us of the importance of a precious tool that we all have at our disposition: our breath. He then explains three simple breathing techniques that we can use whenever we need a little relief. In these busy times, mental difficulties can challenge us; therefore, our breath can be our greatest ally because it is so intimately connected with our mental and emotional states.

Dear friends near and far,

As always, I hope this message finds you well, healthy and happy. Today’s Guru Rinpoche day falls within the auspicious month of Saga Dawa, when we commemorate the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana. Merit is said to be multiplied 100 000 times during this month, making it the “month of merit.”

On this special day, I would like to remind you all of a precious tool that we all have at our disposition and that we too often forget and neglect: our breath.

In these busy times, we are so often challenged by mental difficulties such as overthinking, negativity, irritation, worry, stress, and occasional depression or anxiety. However, our breath is our greatest ally in facing and reducing all such circumstantial mental troubles, because it is so intimately connected with our mental and emotional states.

In particular, there are three simple breathing techniques that I wish to share with you today, which you can use whenever you need a little relief: nourishing breath, positive breath, and space breath. You can do each of these individually or one after the other, depending on the time you have and how you feel. Try to follow the techniques as described, but only to your level of comfortableness—do not force anything.

The first technique is nourishing breath. Breathing deeply, inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Make sure you exhale completely and pause for a couple of seconds before drawing the next inhale. The key to this nourishing breath is to imagine and actually sense that you are breathing in the essence of the five elements as you inhale: earth, water, air, fire, and space. Breathing in the essence of the five elements, they nourish and replenish you. This will bring you temporary but instantaneous relief from your ongoing thoughts and emotions.

The second technique is positive breath. It is similar to tonglen (taking and giving), but not identical. For this, breathe in and out naturally through your nose. As you breathe in, wish all beings free from pain and difficulties, and breathing out, wish all beings happiness. Here, the key is to truly mean it, extending a heartfelt wish for beings’ happiness as you breathe out, and a heartfelt wish for their relief from difficulties when you breathe in. This positive breath is particularly effective for quickly reducing temporary anxiety, negativity, and worry.

The third technique is space breath. “Space” here does not refer to the element of space, but rather to giving yourself some space, or a break. We have so many responsibilities that we continuously hold onto mentally and physically. This affects our sleep, our muscle tightness, and our overall wellbeing, which in turn also affects our relationships and social interactions.

For space breath, breathe in and out through the nose, slowly and deeply. Pause for a second after the inhale before letting the air out again. When you exhale, draw your belly gently in order to ensure that you exhale fully, and pause again for 2-3 seconds before inhaling. Repeat this ten times.

Space breath will immediately loosen you up, relieving you from the urgency of your problems and the need for immediate solutions. So often, our minds are constantly preoccupied with problem-solving, making our bodies tight, our minds narrow, and our emotions tense. Space breath offers us a pause in the midst of all this urgency.

Thus, with these three simple steps towards relieving mental difficulties, I wanted to remind you of how important your breath is to help you transform your state of body and mind. It is ironic how rarely we acknowledge or feel grateful for the small things that come to us easily in life but make a big difference. Because our breath happens automatically, and unconsciously, we are rarely aware of it. However, it is really the key tool at our disposal to effectively increase our peace and happiness, our life enjoyment, and the care and compassion we have for others who are similarly going through pain and trouble. And yet we so often disregard this precious, constant companion of ours.

Therefore, on this Guru Rinpoche day, I wish for you all to create more space in your minds for kindness and compassion to arise, so you may see your minds much clearer than before.

With all my love and prayers, and happy Saga Dawa,

Sarva Mangalam.