Intro To Mindfulness Of Breathing - Anapanasati

Before turning our attention to the breath, Ajahn Dhammasiha encourages us to settle down in the present moment, and to connect with our physical body.
Once we are content inside our body in the present here and now, we discover the breath quite naturally.
We don't try to control the breath, but allow it to flow naturally.
We calm and relax our whole body with every in and out breath.
We breath in and out joyfully.
We brighten our mind, we become more aware, with every in and out breath.

Transcript

So,

When we come to our meditation now,

There are few principles which tend to be applicable to whatever meditation object we are using.

And upon this present moment of realness,

And now is the knowing.

Time is now,

Place is here in this body and mind and carefully observing whatever phenomena that arise in our heart here and now.

So we let go of the past,

The past is gone,

We can't change it in any case.

Whatever hurt or little traumas we may have experienced,

We let go of that,

We settle down here now.

The future has not yet arrived,

Very uncertain,

It often comes different from what we expect or plan in any case.

So now is not the time for planning and designing the future,

Now is the time to settle down in the present moment here and now.

Another general principle for meditation,

We don't give attention to the external senses,

We close the eyes so we don't see any forms,

We don't pay attention to any little background sounds and usually try to sit in a quiet place.

Instead we turn our attention inwards and we become aware of our body,

The physical body.

We are coming around with us all our life.

Can we feel that body,

Can we feel the body sitting,

Can we feel another posture,

Another weight?

We can even sweep through the body,

Sometimes called the body sweeping,

Being aware of the top of the head and then going down,

The face,

Eyes,

Nose,

Mouth and chin,

The neck,

Shoulders,

Down the arms,

Down to the hands and fingers,

Down the trunk through the chest and stomach through the belly,

And we feel our legs,

Down the knees,

Calves,

Into the feet and toes.

We are reconnecting with the physical basis,

Not thinking about the body but feeling the physical body.

And we are calming down activity,

We settle into stillness and silence.

If we are sitting still we don't have to move the body,

We are very content with it,

We are very happy,

We enjoy stillness,

We enjoy calming down,

We enjoy not moving,

Keeping the body still,

Allowing the body to settle down in the posture.

Isn't it great?

For one hour we don't have to do anything,

We don't have to move,

As contentedly,

Joyfully settling down in calmness,

Stillness,

Settling down internally,

Feeling,

Experiencing the body,

Settling down here and now in the present moment.

When we settle down in the present moment here and now,

We don't pay attention to the external senses,

But become aware,

Turn inside and feel,

Experience our body.

We settle down in stillness,

Not moving,

Being content just to sit here,

Feel the body.

How could we not notice our breath?

The main thing that's still going on,

That's still happening here and now in the body,

So we quite naturally become aware of the breathing process,

We can feel the in-breath,

We experience the out-breath,

We are mindful of every in-breath,

We breathe out mindfully,

We are aware when we breathe in,

We know when we breathe out.

We don't really have to do anything with the breath,

Breath can function quite automatically,

We breathe even when we sleep,

Nothing really to do for us,

The only effort is just knowing,

Being mindful of the in and out-breath,

Observing,

Being aware of every in-breath,

Every out-breath,

Not thinking about the breath,

Or just feeling the in-breath,

Experiencing the out-breath.

We are very mindful of every in-breath,

We are mindful of every out-breath,

We are mindful of every out-breath,

We are mindful of every out-breath,

Quite commonly there are all kinds of thoughts bubbling up in the mind,

All kinds of images,

Fantasies,

Ideas,

Worries,

Concerns,

Emotions,

Constantly arising and passing away in the mind,

So we are not fighting with that,

We are not trying to suppress that,

We just don't pay attention,

We pay attention to the sensation,

The feeling,

The experience of the breath,

And all the thinking,

Worrying,

Planning,

Images,

Just like a radio or a television in the background,

We may not be able to switch it off,

Or we can decide as not to listen,

As not to look there,

And we allow that all to go through our mind,

Just like clouds passing through the sky,

Just like the refreshing breeze blowing through our dhamma hole,

We don't hold on to these things,

It's not really our thoughts,

We don't identify,

We just always bring the mind back to feelings,

Knowing,

Being mindful of the in-breath and the out-breath,

Feeling each in-breath,

Experiencing each out-breath,

Feeling each out-breath,

Experiencing each out-breath,

Feeling each out-breath,

Experiencing each out-breath,

Breathing is happening throughout the whole body,

The oxygen is transported by the blood throughout the whole body,

Every cell in the body from head to toe is metabolizing oxygen,

And subjectively we can feel that,

We can feel the whole body with each in-breath,

We experience our whole physical body with each out-breath,

We can feel the calming,

Soothing quality of the breath,

And we breathe in throughout our whole physical body,

We can feel the whole physical body,

We breathe in,

We breathe out,

We become aware of the whole physical body with every in-breath,

With every out-breath,

We can feel the breath energy,

The chi or the prana,

However you want to call it,

The oxygen,

The metabolizing of oxygen,

However you want to call it,

So we feel that throughout our whole body with each in-breath,

With each out-breath,

The calming,

Soothing breath energy with every in-breath,

Every out-breath,

Every out-breath,

Every out-breath,

Every out-breath,

We can feel the calming,

Soothing,

Calming,

Calming,

And we can feel the calming,

Soothing,

Calming,

Calming,

Calming,

And we can feel the calming,

Soothing,

Calming,

Calming,

Calming,

And we can feel the calming,

Soothing,

Calming,

Calming,

Calming,

And we get lost in thinking,

Planning,

We don't complain,

We just notice quickly,

And if we are mindful,

We notice,

The mind is distracted,

And we bring it back,

Right back to the breath,

Feeling the in-breath throughout the body,

Feeling our whole body with every out-breath,

With every in-breath,

Catching the distracted mind quickly,

And gently bringing the mind back to the breath and the body,

And with endless patience,

We can do that hundreds of times in one meditation,

Just through our spiritual and daily practice,

And we are beginning to notice that the mind is still technologies by hand,

That the mind hasn't connected with yet.

When we are just mindfully watching the in and out breath here and now,

Just experiencing,

Feeling the breath and the body with every in breath,

Every out breath in the present moment.

We don't have to do anything,

It's quite natural for the breathing to become calmer.

We can notice that calming,

Soothing quality in the in and out breath.

We really enjoy every in breath,

We appreciate every out breath.

We relax our whole physical body when we breathe in.

We allow the whole body to relax when we breathe out.

We are calming down all physical activities when we breathe in.

We are calming the whole metabolism,

We breathe out,

Calming,

Relaxing the whole body with each in breath,

With each out breath.

We are calming down all physical activities when we breathe out.

We are calming down all physical activities when we breathe out.

When the body is calm and relaxed,

Then the mind is at ease.

When the mind is at ease,

We really enjoy our meditation.

We breathe in joyfully,

We breathe out joyfully,

We breathe in happily,

We breathe out happily.

We breathe in experiencing gladness,

We breathe out experiencing gladness.

We meditate joyfully with each in breath,

Each out breath.

We are feeling the joy throughout the body when we breathe in.

Relaxing,

Calming and soothing our body with that joy and happiness with every in breath,

Every out breath.

We are calming down all physical activities when we breathe out.

We are calming down all physical activities when we breathe in.

We are calming down all physical activities when we breathe in.

We are calm and relaxed,

Calming,

Relaxing the whole body with every in breath,

Every out breath.

But it doesn't mean we go to sleep.

In fact,

As we are calming down,

At the same time we are brightening the mind,

We are strengthening our awareness,

Our mindfulness.

We become more awake with every in breath,

We brighten our mind with every out breath.

We are strengthening the faculty of mindfulness,

Of awareness.

When we breathe in,

We become more aware,

More mindful when we breathe out.

We are calm and relaxed but it's a joyful,

Happy calm.

And it's a joy,

The happiness that makes our mind bright and radiant.

So we make the mind bright and radiant when we breathe in.

We just imagine our mind being bright and radiant when we breathe out.

Gladdening our heart,

Brightening our mind with each in breath,

With each out breath.

We are quiet and relaxed,

Calming our mind with each out breath.

So while we are breathing in and out,

We allow these three qualities to develop,

To unfold naturally,

The calm and relaxation throughout the whole body with each in breath,

Each out breath.

Secondly,

The brightness,

The alertness,

Mindful and aware.

We strengthen awareness,

We sharpen mindfulness with each in breath,

Each out breath.

We brighten our mind,

We lighten up our mind with each in breath,

With each out breath.

Number three,

The gladness,

The joy,

The happiness with each in breath,

Each out breath,

Even rapture and bliss.

There is nothing dangerous about this happiness as it is non-central,

Connected with a wholesome phenomena,

Connected with meditation.

So we can allow the gladness,

Joy and happiness to develop into rapture and bliss as we breathe in,

To naturally unfold as rapture and bliss as we are breathing out.

And ultimately we can allow that calm,

Rapturous,

Tranquil,

Quietness to develop into our mind.

That calm,

Rapturous,

Tranquil,

Quiet,

Radiant joy,

We can allow that to carry our mind into unification,

Into samadhi.

So just riding that joy,

That quiet,

Happy,

Tranquil,

Rapture and bliss like the surface riding a wave until the mind unifies in joy,

Quietness and rapture,

Until the mind unifies in samadhi.

Now we can allow the gladness,

Joy and happiness to develop into our mind.

Now we can allow the gladness,

Joy and happiness to develop into our mind.

Now we can allow the gladness,

Joy and happiness to develop into our mind.

Now we can allow the gladness,

Joy and happiness to develop into our mind.

Now we can allow the gladness,

Joy and happiness to develop into our mind.

Now we can allow the gladness,

Joy and happiness to develop into our mind.

Now we can allow the gladness,

Joy and happiness to develop into our mind.

GONG Welcome back.

Emerging from our samatha meditation it can be very helpful to do some review of what is our mind state now compared to before we started our meditation.

I'm aware that probably not everyone has experienced the outright rapture and bliss.

But now do we feel calmer than before when we started?

Is the mind brighter,

Is our awareness,

Our mindfulness better than before we started meditation?

Is there maybe not rapture and bliss,

But is there a sense of contentment,

A sense of joy and happiness,

At least no more than before the meditation?

Because then the meditation is successful and we are moving in the right direction and as long as these three qualities continue to increase,

Our samatha meditation,

Our calmness,

Samadhi,

Concentration meditation will move in the right direction.

And usually we will notice that our mind is weaker in one of the three.

Sometimes the mind is very calm and peaceful,

But then you just go to sleep.

The awareness and brightness is lacking.

Or we may be quite joyful,

Quite happy,

But quite restless,

Maybe not enough calm.

Or the mind may be very bright and aware,

But lacking calmness.

So we look at all these three qualities,

The calm tranquility,

The awareness brightness,

And the joy and happiness that they develop,

All three,

And whichever one is weak,

We can pay some attention to that.

We don't have the power to just decide or do it by will power,

To be happy or to be calm,

But just giving it some attention that is usually sufficient and nudging it along a little bit.

So my suggestion for a little walking meditation,

Checking out your mind and whichever of these three qualities,

Calm,

Awareness,

And number three,

Joy,

Happiness,

Whichever one is the weakest,

Whether we can give it some attention and strengthen and allow that to unfold while we are walking.

Reviews

Anumodanā🙏🏻

Lovely 🙏🏻

Dear Ajan. I am very happy about your instructions. I was searching for a guided meditation on Anapanasati like yours for a long time. Thank you very much!

Brilliant

Thank you 🙏 very nice. Your timing of speaking was great for me. I would be shortly into a thought and you’d remind me to come back. Very much appreciate your guided meditations.

Just what I needed, some simple instruction, so gentle. Just focusing on the breath. So calming and steady. Many thanks for your guidance and teaching. ☮️💖🙏🖖