In the teachings of the Gautama Buddha, there is
a difference between concentration and insight. The Classical Buddhist
Meditation Manual “Visuddhimagga” (A great treatise on Buddhist
practice) provides 40 primary themes to choose from to develop concentration.
Breathing is one of these themes that has been popular and proven to be
effective over the centuries. In addition to using the breath to help
concentrate the mind, breathing is used to help develop insight.
Anapanasati is a form of meditation that is taught
by the Buddha and uses mindful breathing to develop a calm and concentrated
mind and awareness. This method is said to be a form of meditation used to
bring Gautama Buddha to full awakening. It is based on the “Anapanasmriti
Sutra” (in Sanskrit) of breath mindfulness discourse. In clear and detailed
teaching, Gautama Buddha presents a meditation practice that uses conscious
breathing to calm the mind so that one can see oneself and go to freedom.
The first step is to take your breath into
focus: focus on the sensations that are naturally and seamlessly produced by
the lungs, filling and emptying yourself. You can take these sensations by
drawing your attention to the nose, chest, or abdomen. As your breathing
awareness training matures, this focus can be extended to the body as a whole.
It is important to note that you are
learning to be mindful of the raw sensations that come through breathing
without imagination. When you focus your attention on the breath, you may find
that the mind wants to be somewhere else. Training is to return to your breath
whenever you are distracted. Gradually the mind wants to settle down and feels
stable, calm and peaceful. At this early stage, you are encouraged to focus on
your day-to-day activities. Turning to breathe from time to time will involve
you in these activities. The relief is always with you to help cut down on the
unnecessary thoughts that deviate from here and now.
Concentrating on breathing in such a way
enables the mind to bring together all its scattered energies. The mind is now
more stable, clear and ready to practice insight. It will gradually become more
comprehensive as it encourages you to increase the scope of your awareness.
Begin by incorporating all the bodily movements, anchored in the breath of
consciousness. You become more familiar with physical life, emotions, and the
thought process. You are learning the art of self-observation while coming into
contact with the fact that you are breathing. Developing skills is the ability
to increase and deepen your ability to embrace your own experience of closeness
and lack of bias. Comfort is like a good friend to you.
You are now in a position to practice pure
insight meditation. The mind can focus on the wholeness of mental and physical
life.
As you sit and breathe, observe the occurrence
and passage of all mental and physical events. The mind empties all its
contents; The body reveals it is transparent and constantly changing nature.
Going deeper into the unethical law will deepen your ability to let go of
attachments that cause unnecessary pain.
Indeed, this brief treatment of one of the most
important teachings of the Buddha on meditation is inadequate.
It seems reasonable to test the chance of respiratory awareness as a possible meditation practice. If such training proves to be worthwhile, I believe you will want to become a natural and elegant participant in the Hatha Yoga you love, one that facilitates and intensifies the liberating power of meditation. Postures (Asanas) help you to sit in a comfortable and stable position, while pranayama improves the quality of breathing, so it is more attractive as an object of the mind.
Practice the art that allows
The following breathing awareness exercises
can help you understand the widespread tendency to control breathing, which is
often caused by emotional disturbances.
First, allow the breath to flow. While
taking suggestions on Anapanasati training, let the breathing happen instead of
the breath. This art of “allowing” is very important in the proper practice of
meditation. The flow of free comfort brings great peace and serenity. It
prepares the mind to flow freely, giving it freedom when combined with full and
clear attention. This exercise may help you move in the direction of no
direction, helping you see more clearly how you interfere with the natural
movement of the breath, breathing, and the pause between them.
Anapanasati meditation
Step 1
After sitting quietly for a few minutes,
listen to your breathing. Being aware of your breathing right from the start
often requires you to go. Assume it is heated properly. Experience the
respiratory sensations associated with repeated breathing without interference.
Accept whatever changes the sensations. Let them be so.
Step 2
As you become more familiar with the
details of breathing, do you realise that you are interfering with your
breathing? If so, in what way? Instead of letting the breathing happen on its
own, do you mess with them? You may find that you do not trust your own breath
to do the work of breathing on your own, as some yogis do.
Step 3
There are many ways to interfere with
breathing as your consciousness becomes more precise, look for specific ways
you can guide the natural breathing process. Do you give yourself the full
amount of time you need to breathe? If you are short of breath, pay attention
to this. Gradually, as your breathing slows down, your breathing will stop
naturally. When you start to interrupt your breathing, can you or your mind see
any change in the quality of breathing?
Step 4
Now start working in the same way with your
breath. Do you bother them as soon as you start monitoring your breathing? Any
help you do is intervention. In short, learn about the unique ways in which
your breathing can be disturbed.
Step 5
Finally, learn more about the pause of
breathing. The distance between breaths. What happens when you pause,
especially when it stretches itself? Anxiety? Boredom? The tendency to pay
attention? You can start breathing and, as you feel, become more aware of how
your breath turns into breath. For example, do you slow down before you stop
breathing? Is breathing intentional and early, reducing the interval between
inhaling and exhaling?
As you observe how you disrupt this natural
process, you become less and less obstructing the transition between breaths.
Restoring the full power of suspension, even if it is short, provides calm and
satisfaction. Breathing recovers on its own if you allow it. You develop faith
in the “recovery” power of your breathing process. As you develop your training
beyond breathing in insight, you will develop a critical skill in allowing the
breath to flow naturally. Can you allow the whole mind-body process to open up
naturally and see it? In doing so, it invites the liberating power of awareness
to reveal itself and enrich your daily life.