Based in the practices of conscious breathing and mindfulness, the thirty-four guided exercises in this new meditation manual bring beginning and experienced practitioners alike into closer touch with the state of our physical bodies, our inner selves, and the elements of the world around us.

With gentle wisdom, Thich Nhat Hanh presents exercises that help us acknowledge and dissolve the anger and separation that can arise between men and women, children and parents, humans and the earth. Other exercises reveal the pain brought on by our pursuit of and attachment to material goods. We are also led to contemplate life's impermanence and death, our own or that of a loved one. And for the first time ever, Thich Nhat Hanh has included three original songs that capture the essence of several important meditation exercises.

With practical application to both the sorrows and the joys of our daily lives, The Blooming of a Lotus is suffused with a profound awareness of the beauty and interdependence of all forms of life. Thich Nhat Hanh's careful teachings and thoughtful reflections will enable readers to look deeply into themselves and find an energizing tranquility - "the food of joy" that meditation can offer.