The Practice of Mindfulness of Breathing. Basic guidelines

Ten benefits. A 3000 year old tradition

Here are guidelines to mindfulness of breathing to facilitate the presence of a depth of meditative awareness. This approach has been widely adopted for 3000 years plus in the East and has come to the West in the past generation or two.

Retreat in the Dharma Hall of the Thai Monastery, Sarnath, India

You can practice mindfulness of breathing on a meditation cushion, upright chair, bus, coach, train, at the kitchen table, desk, in the waiting room, at the dentist and on a bench in the park.

The regular practice of breathing reduces stress. This is the beginning, the kindergarten stage while being immensely supportive. See further benefits below.

Guidance from a teacher is an immense support for beginners, particularly for those interested in extended periods of this spiritual practice.

Practice with others in a course, daylong workshop or retreat. Let first choice be physical reality or, if not possible, in the virtual world.

You can start with three minutes of practice and gradually increase amount of time - 5, 10, 20, 40 minutes or an hour. If you feel slightly disorientated, then open the eyes or change the posture. Go back to the sitting later.

Do not use force and will power, Stress and pressure will increase if you do. Be patient.

Consult with an experienced mindfulness/meditation teacher when questions or concerns arise.

Here are some basic guidelines.

• Sit with a straight back.

• Keep the eyes closed with the eyelids just resting.

• If tired, then keep eyes open gently observing the ground one or two metres ahead.

• Initially, breathe deeply to experience some sense of expansion in the chest, diaphragm and stomach area.

• Experience the entire breathing process from air entering the nostrils, chest expanding, feeling sensations in the body as oxygen circules and breath expelling carbon as the chest contracts.

• With an upright posture, mindfulness of breaking takes pressure off organs, such as liver, kidney, and spleen. It allows blood and air to circulate more easily.

• Allow the whole body to relax, so that the tension required to maintain the posture is negligible.

• Note it makes no difference whether we we sit in a chair, cross legged, or kneel using a small bench.

The shape of our legs in the sitting posture has no relevance to meditation.

Having made a clear intention to undertake this spiritual practice, direct the attention to the respiratory process. Experience the air as it passes into the nostrils, goes past the throat and down into the lungs. Be with the experience without using force or will power.

If it is useful, make long breaths in a relaxed and comfortable manner.

Once settled, allow the air to come and go in its natural rhythm. At times the respiration is likely to be quite short, hardly discernible, sometimes very distinct and tangible. Notice the different bodily sensations, as the air flows into the organism; notice how far it goes down into the body.

At times, moments may go by before the next inhalation and after the last exhalation. Remain in that state of quiet repose, patiently, trusting in the body to inhale.

Mind more easily wanders on the outbreath or before the next in breath. Give extra interest to the outbreath and moment(s) before the next in breath.

Through familiarity with the process, attention naturally expands to include not only the specific areas between nose, chest and abdomen but the entire body.

By inhaling and exhaling through the whole body we develop calmness. At this point a clear, relaxed intention to abide calmly contributes directly to its outcome.

Benefits of Mindfulness of Breathing

We can regard it as the most beneficial of all mindfulness/meditation practices.

1. Contributes to contentment and inner peace

2. Brings harmony to body/mind/consciousness

3. Shows the way to the depth of meditation

4. Interrupts unwanted and unhealthy thoughts

5. Develops fresh levels of energy and interest

6. Trains the mind to concentrate on worthwhile tasks.

7. Enables experience of happiness. joy, love, without stimulus from the senses

8. Witness impermanence, change, letting go, emptiness of ego

9. Releases spiritual awareness, insights and realisations unseen before

10. Awakens the whole being to a liberated way of life.