Anapana Breathing

This is a Present Moment Awareness meditation technique called Anapana Breathing, or Ānāpānasati. If you’re looking to practice Mindfulness, it’s a great one to use. This audio is intended as a quick guide (approximately 5 minutes) to help you learn and practice the technique on your own. Once you've gotten the hang of the technique, try practicing for 5 minutes, then gradually work your way up to 20+ minutes.

Transcript

We're going to practice an easy meditation technique called on upon a breathing.

Let's start by sitting comfortably with the back upright and the neck straight.

If you're on a chair or a couch,

Just come forward a bit so that your back is not leaning against anything.

Hands can rest in your lap,

Palms face up or down,

However is comfortable.

Now let's gently close the eyes.

Let's just take a moment here to allow the body to settle down.

We're going to breathe normally through the nose at whatever rate feels normal and natural right now.

If you feel sick or congested and you need to use your mouth to help balance the air flow,

That's okay.

Otherwise,

Let's have breath coming in through the nostrils,

Breath going out of the nostrils,

Breath coming in,

Breath going out.

All focus at the entrance of the nostrils.

If the breath is long,

Let it be long.

If it is short,

Let it be short.

Let it be natural.

Let it be normal.

Allow the breath to flow as it is.

If there is thought,

Let there be thought.

Just come back to the breath.

We simply notice,

Allow it to be,

Let it drift away.

Bring the attention back to the breath.

Breath coming in through the nostrils,

Breath going out of the nostrils.

Now we're going to sit in silence for another minute or two,

Keeping the attention on the breath flowing in and out of the nose.

If the mind wanders,

Simply bring the attention back to the breath flowing in and out of the nostrils.

Now,

Let's have breath coming in through the nostrils.

Now keeping the eyes closed,

We can relax our concentration,

Taking the mind away from the breath,

Just allowing the mind to be,

Allowing any sensations in the body to settle down.

Even in your own time,

Whenever you feel comfortable,

You can slowly open the eyes.

Reviews

So simple and effective, perfect for relaxing before a big day!

A short, yet effective Anapana practice. Thank you!

A good led anapana practice for those familiar with anapana from vipassana practice. Easy to continue on your own after the guidance stops. Thank you!