Anapanasati Meditation – Key to Stress Relief – Part II
For Part I clink the link below
Anapanasati meditation is the practice of mindful observance of one's breath. Breath awareness allows one to be anchored in the present moment and prevent thoughts about the past and future from rising. Thoughts about the past and future could generate happiness or sadness, desire or aversion, which is ultimtely the source of our suffering. The practice of anapanasati is a tool to free oneself from suffering generated by un-controlled thoughts. In practice, the practitioner is expected to ignore all thoughts that distract one from focus on the breath, simply observing as the thoughts rise and allowing them to dispassionately whither away. The practice of anapanasati will enable you to feel more in control of your life and train your mind not to generate unnecessary or distracting thoughts.
Traditionally, the hands are placed loosely, palms up, one on top of the other, and with the thumbs lightly touching. This is called the cosmic mudra, one of a large number of symbolic hand positions. You may prefer to lay them flat on your thighs, or any other way that you find comfortable.
Your head should be upright, but not rigid. The eyes may be closed, or focussed on a spot on the ground a couple of feet ahead of you, or looking down at your hands. If you find yourself getting sleepy, keep your eyes open!
The Four Steps
To help practitioners in developing this meditation, the commentators and meditation masters have indicated eight graduated steps in the practice. These eight steps will first be enumerated, and then they will be explained in relation to the actual meditative process.
The eight steps are named: counting (ganana); following (anubandhana); contact (phusana); fixing (thapana). These four cover the whole course of meditative development up to the attainment of tranquility of mind.
(i) Counting
Counting is intended for those who have never before practiced anapana sati. It is not necessary for those who have practiced meditation for a considerable period of time. However, as it is expedient to have a knowledge of this, counting should be understood in the following manner.
When the meditator sits down for meditation, he fixes his attention at the tip of his nose and consciously attends to the sequence of in-and-out breathing. He notes the breath as it enters, and notes the breath as it leaves, touching against the tip of the nose or the upper lip. At this time he begins to count these movements.
There are a few methods of counting. The easiest is explained thus: The first breath felt is counted as "one, one"; the second as "two, two"; the third as "three, three"; the fourth as "four, four"; the fifth as "five, five" and so on up to the tenth breath which is counted as "ten, ten." Then he returns to "one, one" and continues again up to "ten, ten." This is repeated over and over from one to ten.
The mere counting is not itself meditation, but the counting has become an essential aid to meditation. A person who has not practiced meditation before, finding it difficult to understand the nature of his mind, may think he is meditating while his mind runs helter skelter. Counting is an easy method to control the wandering mind.
If a person fixes his mind well on his meditation, he can maintain this counting correctly. If the mind flees in all directions, and he misses the count, he becomes confused and thus can realize that his mind has wandered about. If the mind has lost track of the count, the meditator should begin the counting over again. In this way he should start the counting again from the beginning, even if he has gone wrong a thousand times.
As the practice develops, there may come a time when the in-breathing and out breathing take a shorter course and it is not possible to count the same number many times. Then the meditator has to count quickly "one," "two," "three," etc. When he counts in this manner he can comprehend the difference between a long in-breath and out-breath and a short in-breath and out-breath.
(ii) Following
"Following" means following the breath with the mind. When the mind has been subdued by counting and is fixed on the in-breathing and out-breathing, the counting is stopped and replaced by mentally keeping track of the course of the breath. This is explained by the Buddha in this manner:
"When the meditator breathes in a long breath, he comprehends that he is breathing in a long breath; and when he is breathing out a long breath, he comprehends that he is breathing out a long breath."
Herein, one does not deliberately take a long in-breath or a long out-breath. One simply comprehends what actually takes place.
The Buddha has declared in the next passage that a meditator trains himself thinking: "I shall breathe in experiencing the whole body, and I shall breath out experiencing the whole body." Here, what is meant as "the whole body" is the entire cycle of breathing in and breathing out. The meditator should fix his attention so as to see the beginning, the middle and the end of each cycle of in-breathing and out-breathing. It is this practice that is called "experiencing the whole body."
The beginning, middle and end of the breath must be correctly understood. It is incorrect to consider the tip of the nose to be the beginning of the breath, the chest to be the middle, and the navel to be the end. If one attempts to trace the breath from the nose through the chest to the belly, or to follow it out from the belly through the chest to the nose, one's concentration will be disrupted and one's mind will become agitated. The beginning of the in-breath, properly understood, is the start of the inhalation, the middle is continued inhalation, and the end is the completion of the inhalation. Likewise, in regard to the out breath, the beginning is the start of the exhalation, the middle is the continued exhalation, and the end is the completion of the exhalation. To "experience the whole body" means to be aware of the entire cycle of each inhalation and exhalation, keeping the mind fixed at the spot around the nostrils or on the upper lip where the breath is felt entering and leaving the nose.
This work of contemplating the breath at the area around the nostrils, without following it inside and outside the body, is illustrated by the commentaries with the similes of the gatekeeper and the saw.
Just as a gatekeeper examines each person entering and leaving the city only as he passes through the gate, without following him inside or outside the city, so the meditator should be aware of each breath only as it passes through the nostrils, without following it inside or outside the body.
Just as a man sawing a log will keep his attention fixed on the spot where the teeth of the saw cut through the wood, without following the movement of the teeth back and forth, so the meditator should contemplate the breath as it swings back and forth around the nostrils, without letting his mindfulness be distracted by the breath's inward and outward passage through the body.
When a person meditates earnestly in this manner, seeing the entire process, a joyous thrill pervades his mind. And since the mind does not wander about, the whole body becomes calm and composed, cool and comfortable.
(iii) Contact and (iv) Fixing
These two aspects of the practice indicate the development of stronger concentration. When the mindfulness of breathing is maintained, the breathing becomes more and more subtle and tranquil. As a result the body becomes calm and ceases to feel fatigued. Bodily pain and numbness disappear, and the body begins to feel an exhilarating comfort, as if it were being fanned with a cool gentle breeze.
At that time, because of the tranquillity of the mind, the breathing becomes finer and finer until it seems that it has ceased. At times this condition lasts for many minutes. This is when breathing ceases to be felt. At this time some become alarmed thinking the breathing has ceased, but it is not so. The breathing exists but in a very delicate and subtle form. No matter how subtle the breathing becomes, one must still keep mindful of the contact of the breath in the area of the nostrils, without losing track of it. The mind then becomes free from the five hindrances — sensual desire, anger, drowsiness, restlessness and doubt. As a result one becomes calm and joyful.
Breathing meditation is a simple yet effective technique to relax one’s mind and body. In the long run, it will change your relationship with your thoughts, which can help you see the true nature of your mind through emotional regulation.
While you are meditating, you will learn to let go of distractions, which will also help in emotional regulation. Letting go of distractions also means that you are able to release certain patterns of thoughts that fuel negative feelings like, anger, anxiety, depression etc.
Breathing meditation is powerful and works at the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. Let’s look at the physical and emotional benefits of breathing meditation:
Physical benefits
Lowers the level of stress hormone Reduces heart rate, which in turn lowers blood pressure Increase oxygen flow to the lungs, which increases alertness Helps to treat headaches |
Reduces feelings of depression, anxiety and anger Enhances creativity Improves memory, learning ability and problem-solving skills |
Breathing meditation is one of the basic steps for other types of meditation techniques.
The process of breathing meditation will increase the supply of oxygen in our lungs, which will make one feel more refreshed, energetic and alert within 10 minutes of the practice. Doing the right breathing method can help to cure infections like cough and colds.
With daily practice, one will experience a sense of inner peace. The mind will be cleared of cluttered thoughts and feel more spacious. Focusing on one’s breath can help to block out incessant flow of distracting thoughts to the mind and bring out a sense of contentment.
Although breathing meditation is the basis of many other meditation techniques, it is advisable to learn it first if you are a beginner, as it is simple yet effective. Once you have grasped the mechanics of breathing meditation, you will be able to practice the others at ease!
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