Zen Breath Counting Meditation (25 Minutes)

A complete 25-minute breath-counting meditation as practised in the practical Zen course I teach. I recommend using this after working with my body scan meditation for a week or two. This technique starts to develop a more open awareness, while using the breath as an anchor point. Use the principles in everday life to become less stressed and more mindful.

Transcript

Welcome to this breath counting meditation.

We're using the breath as an anchor point for the awareness.

It's a very simple,

A very powerful technique.

If possible,

Practice this meditation seated or kneeling.

We're aiming for an upright,

Balanced and alert body,

Which can create a corresponding mental state.

So allowing the whole body to relax and settling the body into uprightness.

If you're on a chair,

Have the knees apart and the feet flat on the floor.

If you're kneeling,

Again the knees are wide.

With some support under the sitting bones.

Or if it's comfortable,

You can try sitting cross legged with a cushion lifting the pelvis.

In all these positions,

We're looking for a stable,

Triangular base.

And taking a moment to sway the body from side to side.

And forwards and backwards.

Doing this to find your most balanced,

Comfortable and upright position.

We're feeling like our base is solid and grounded.

And from this solid and grounded base,

We're allowing the spine to grow free and open.

Allowing it to follow its natural curves.

The hands rest,

One on top of the other in the lap.

The belly is released and soft.

And the shoulders can relax and drop.

Allow the neck to be long.

Perhaps having a feeling of a rubber ball under the chin.

Allowing the back of the neck to open.

Check in with the jaw.

Allow it to release.

Tongue rests gently on the roof of the mouth.

Allowing it to be broad.

And we're breathing in and out.

And we're breathing naturally through the nose,

If that's possible for you.

Through the mouth if necessary.

Let go of any tension in the muscles around the eyes.

And allow the eyes to close.

Or you can have them gently open,

With your gaze directed downwards.

And let's start noticing now the natural breath.

The body just breathing by itself.

We're not trying to alter anything.

We're just being aware.

Aware of that natural breath.

Tuning in to your body breathing by itself.

Seeing how it feels in the body.

And you start to notice your natural breath.

Perhaps start noticing now the journey that the breath takes.

The full journey of the breath.

The full journey.

Using the awareness to follow the full journey of your natural breath.

In through the nostrils.

Down the throat.

Into the chest and back out again.

Noticing the full cycle of breath.

Noticing the natural pauses.

At the end of each in breath.

Noticing the natural pauses at the end of each in breath and the end of each out breath.

And starting to become aware now of how the breath causes movement in the body.

Again we're not trying to force anything.

We're just noticing what we can detect.

We're being inquisitive.

Is there movement in the nostrils?

In the mouth?

In the throat?

In the top of the chest?

In the rib cage?

Movement in the front and the sides and the back of the rib cage.

Expanding and contracting.

Perhaps noticing movement in the lower ribs.

And perhaps noticing movement further down in the belly,

In the hara.

Perhaps a rising and falling of breath in the belly.

Perhaps a rising and falling of breath in the belly.

Wherever you feel the lowest point of movement is fine.

If at the moment it's higher up.

In time it can drop.

If we practice without trying to control.

And with the awareness dropped down to the lowest point.

We can notice movement in the body.

Movement caused by the breath.

We can start mentally counting each breath.

On an in breath one.

Out breath two.

In breath three.

Out breath four.

And so on.

Up to ten.

And so on.

Up to ten.

And starting again at one.

Thank you for watching.

All very simple.

The natural breath.

Our awareness at the lowest point we can feel movement caused by the breath.

Counting each in breath.

Counting each out breath.

Counting each out breath.

Counting each out breath.

Counting each out breath.

Counting each out breath.

Up to ten.

And starting again.

If you lose track of your counting.

Or if you get distracted.

Just starting again at one.

And continuing on.

Thoughts,

Plans,

Feelings,

Memories.

All kinds of things can arise and pass.

We're not trying to push them away.

We're not trying to edit them.

We're not trying to hold on to them.

We do feel ourselves starting to get involved with any of these things.

Just noticing as soon as possible.

And returning to the counting of the breath.

Our awareness down.

In the lowest point we can feel that breath moving the body.

As the mind becomes more settled and focused.

You may find the breath becomes a little more gentle and light.

And as this happens you might feel the body starts to feel more comfortable and relaxed.

Thank you for watching.

If things are starting to feel more calm and focused.

If you're feeling only a little bit of distraction.

You might like to move to counting each complete cycle of breath.

So in breath,

Out breath.

One.

In breath,

Out breath.

Two.

As before.

Up to ten.

And starting again at one.

If the mind feels more busy.

If you feel you need more focus.

A stronger anchor point for the awareness.

Just stick with the counting of each individual in breath and out breath.

Go with what feels right for you at this moment.

Thank you for watching.

If you do feel the mind starting to wander.

If you feel your concentration starting to ebb.

Just check in with your posture.

Check in that you have this grounded lower half of the body.

This relaxed,

Open,

Alert upper half of the body.

Just checking in that the body isn't slumping.

Which tends to cause a corresponding slump in our attention,

In our awareness.

Thank you for watching.

Remaining with the awareness in the lowest point of movement.

Perhaps down in the belly.

Allowing everything to come and go.

Anytime we get carried away.

Just noticing and gently bringing the focus back.

This process of distraction and noticing is what can train the mind.

So no need to become frustrated or to be hard on ourselves when the mind wanders off.

Just bringing it back to counting as soon as possible and continuing on with our meditation.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching.

It's all very simple.

Just counting the natural breaths.

Remaining with our focus as clearly fixed to the breath.

Counting each natural breath.

Noticing when we become distracted or get carried away.

Bring your attention back.

And starting again at one if we become distracted from the count.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching.

This is a process that can change day by day.

On one day we may feel particularly concentrated,

Able to stick with the counting of the breath.

On another day we may feel completely distracted with the mind disappearing off all the time.

Better than the other.

Just noticing how things are for you.

Not attaching anything to either situation.

Just noticing.

Doing our best to keep the awareness on the breath.

To keep counting.

Thank you for watching.

And you can release the counting now.

Just sit with the breath and notice how the natural breath can make the body feel.

Noticing sensations caused by the breath inside.

And how the body feels.

How the natural breath can make the body feel.

Noticing sensations caused by the breath inside the body.

Noticing all the sensations inside the body.

And starting to notice sensations on the surface of the body.

Perhaps the touch of your clothing.

Perhaps noticing the sensations caused by the surface that you're resting on.

And noticing the fingers and the toes.

Bringing movement to the fingers and toes.

Bringing movement to the rest of the body.

Starting to wake the body by stretching or yawning.

And whenever you're completely ready to do so.

Opening the eyes.

Your meditation practice is now complete.

Reviews

This is a fantastic back to basics meditation with a great balance of explanation and meditation time.

Very well balanced between teaching and silence, progressively towards solo meditation

Very cool !

Amazing

Thank you

Good instruction and one of the easier forms of following the breath. 🙏

Very simple and peaceful with quiet spaces which allow for going deeper. Thank you.

25 minutes in total peace

Excellent. One of my favourite practices. Thank you.

Excellent. Guided enough but not too much commentary. I’ve started using this repeatedly and am enjoying it. Thank you.

Very effective at calming & focusing the mind. Thank you.

An excellent guided meditation. Simple and effective, with perfectly timed pauses to aid concentration.

Very nice solid breath focused meditation. Gentle instructions and some quiet pauses to practice all very nice and much appreciated. Thank you. ☮️💖🙏