Have you ever heard of Plum village? Plum Village, near Bordeaux in southwest France, is the first monastic community founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) in the West. Thay wanted to build a beloved community that embraced and facilitated a healthy, nourishing environment where people could learn the art of living in harmony with one another and with the Earth. There is actually a documentary about the village and its practises called "Walk with me".
A big part of living in the village is learning to live in the current moment and to just be present. Something they do to encourage this is to ring what they call the mindfulness bell. Whenever the bell rings, everyone stops what they are doing, stays silent, and takes a minute to simply be present and this is something that we can all do in our day to day lives as well!
- Set an alarm on your phone to go off as many times a day as you would like. There are even a few apps that you can download that act as a mindfulness bell!
- When the alarm sounds, stop what you are doing and stay silent
- Take a deep, cleansing breath and hold it for 6 seconds
- Then release it, slowly and controlled, for approximately 12 seconds
- Do this 3 times until you feel your mind is clear
- Take a moment to appreciate and think about what you have and what you feel gratitude for. It might be friends, family, health, a roof over your head or just the beautiful sky that day.
You can use and adapt this practise however you want, for example, another technique that is commonly used in mindfulness is the self-compassion pause.
- When the alarm sounds, cross your hands over your chest or maybe even hug yourself
- Take a deep, cleansing breath and hold it for 6 seconds
- Then release it, slowly and controlled, for 12 seconds
- Do this 3 times and then say to yourself out loud or in your mind, "I am worthy of love and kindness. I honour and support myself. I love and accept myself."
Thay speaks more about the present moment in the video below. 
