According to the Buddha's teaching in the Anapanasati Sutra, maintaining awareness of our breathing is a means of awakening to the true nature of all things and arriving at spiritual liberation. Breathe, You Are Alive outlines 16 exercises of conscious breathing that were taught by the Buddha, together with commentaries and further exercises for practicing them every day and in any situation. Thich Nhat Hanh's insights and explanation give the reader access to the profound nourishment available when we slow down and get in touch with our in-breath and out-breath. He walks the reader through the progression of exercises—from awareness of the physical plane, to the mental and spiritual planes—in a clear and concise manner that is easy to implement.

This 20th anniversary edition includes Thich Nhat Hanh's most recent commentaries and practices on the awareness of breathing meditation, as well as his "Breathing and Walking" Gatha (practice verse) set to music.