Hello dear friend,
Today we gonna speak about the benefits of Anapanasati.
Anapanasati,
Translated from Pali as mindful breathing,
Is a form of meditation once taught by Gautama Buddha in several suttas,
Including the well-known Anapanasati Sutta.
What benefits can this meditation bring?
Why should you practice Anapanasati?
From your very first sessions,
You'll start noticing how your inner world becomes calmer.
You'll learn to handle stress more easily,
Improve self-control and strengthen your willpower.
Your mood will brighten and the temptations that pop up throughout the day will seem less overwhelming.
Overall well-being and health will improve.
You just need to start with 15 minutes a day and gradually increase the time.
For example,
The first stage of Anapanasati is actively practiced in the US by police officers,
Stock traders and customer support operators,
Representatives of some of the most stressful professions in the world.
If you practice regularly and master the initial stages of Anapanasati,
You'll reach a state known as the Here and Now Happiness or Jhana.
This state is similar to Nirvana,
But differs in that it's temporary and subject to change.
Some people find satisfaction in this fleeting happiness and don't strive for the next level.
Even in Buddha's time,
Many mistook this state for Nirvana,
But we will go further towards Vipassana.
Buddha taught us to go into the forest,
Sit under a tree and simply observe our breath.
If the breath is long,
Notice that it's long.
If it's short,
Acknowledge that it's short.
Each Anapanasati meditation should start with calming the mind,
Observing your natural breath and learning to recognize its type.
For example,
The inhale-exhale might be long,
Deep or short,
Shallow.
Your task is to notice how frequent,
Intense and prolonged the breathing is.
It might seem easy to simply observe your breath,
But the real goal is to concentrate 100% on your breathing,
Excluding all distracting thoughts.
And that's not easy.
Even Buddhist monks can spend years mastering the first stage of Anapanasati.
To fully understand long breathing,
The meditator must recognize their inhales and exhales,
Noting how long and deep the breath can be and observing its depth.
You'll also need to study short breathing.
Short breaths manifest differently.
On the inhale,
The belly expands and on the exhale,
It contracts.
You'll notice that with a small inhale,
The upper chest barely moves.
Thus,
Belly movements during short breathing will be opposite to those during long breathing.
The meditator must know how to observe their breath,
Otherwise they'll get confused.
The basic principle is to analyze natural inhalations as short or exhalations as long.
If the inhale makes the belly contract,
It's considered long breathing.
Conversely,
A short exhale is one where the chest contracts slightly,
But the belly doesn't expand.
If the belly expands,
The exhale is long.
If it contracts,
The exhale is short.
The key criterion is the degree of chest contraction.
Belly movements are always the opposite of chest movements,
At least with long breathing.
The important thing is simply to notice what's happening and to be aware of it.
The terms short and long apply to ordinary breathing,
Depending on how restless or calm your mind is.
As practice continues,
Enthusiasm and joy will increase and the length of breathing will gradually expand.
In the early stages of practice,
Short breathing can arise from fatigue,
Excitement,
Fear or pain.
This type of breathing should be viewed as quickened.
Also,
Pay attention to whether your breathing is heavy or light,
Coarse or fine.
If the air hits your nostrils hard,
It can be recognized as heavy or coarse.
If it passes through the nostrils easily and is barely noticeable,
It can be considered light or fine.
These qualities are also important as they relate to the subsequent stages.
Whether breathing is short or long depends on the state of the mind and body.
As soon as one starts paying attention to their breath,
It becomes either longer or shorter than usual.
Therefore,
In the early stages,
The meditator should observe how the length of breath changes with circumstances.
For example,
If the mind is in a normal state,
The breathing will be one way,
And if it's tense or excited,
The breathing will be different,
More rapid and intermittent.
When the body is calm,
Breathing will be longer and it may even pause for a few seconds.
Whatever the case,
The meditator must observe and understand what kind of breathing is happening.
Is the inhale long and deep or short and shallow?
To sum up,
The initial short breaths in each meditation are a preparation for calm,
Short breathing,
Which may arise spontaneously during the meditation session.
When the meditator thoroughly understands both types of breathing,
They can achieve full concentration without having to think about whether their breathing is short or long.
Instructions to follow.
First,
Sit comfortably on a semi-soft surface,
Cross-legged or on a chair.
Place your hands in your lap or on your legs.
Straighten your back,
Relax your jaw slightly,
And keep your tongue lightly touching the roof of your mouth just behind your upper teeth.
Close your eyes and breathe steadily and calmly.
During the meditation,
Your mind will throw up ideas and thoughts.
Notice them,
But don't react or follow them.
Simply return to your breath.
Repeat this exercise over and over,
Bringing your mind back to your breathing each time.
Third,
Practice daily for 15 minutes.
In the second part of the course,
This time will increase each day,
And by the end of the second part you'll be meditating for a full hour.
Each meditation may be different.
This depends on many factors.
The main thing is not to cling to specific states.
Everything flows like a river.
Everything changes,
And that's inevitable.
Be a witness and simply observe the process.
If your mind is too restless and agitated by thoughts of the past or future,
Beginners are allowed to take a few deep breaths,
Or hold their breath for a few moments.
After at least 30 days of diligent practice,
The following will happen.
You'll have fewer distracting thoughts.
You'll start to recognize and distinguish your breath.
Your breathing will slow down.
You'll experience the depth of your breath.
Your mind will clear,
And you'll experience maximum tranquility and happiness.
All of this will come gradually during the remaining 25 days with new audio instructions after completing this 5-day course.
Thank you for your attention.
Remember,
During the day,
You will need to listen to one more audio recording as part of your practice,
After which you can proceed to the meditation audio.
That's all for now.
Feel free to move on to the next audio recording whenever you wish.
