1.3 Settling The Breath In Its Natural State

"Always mindful, one breathes in. Mindful, one breathes out." (MN 118)

A guided practice for releasing all control of the breath and discovering what remains. Through a sequence of deep, deliberate breaths, you gradually relinquish all effort, all preference, all intervention. The key instruction: let the exhale go completely, and wait. The next breath will arise on its own. This is what it means to settle the breath in its natural state. Not managed breathing, but breathing as it happens when no one is in charge.

Practice daily in the morning. In the evening, recall and inhabit the instructions without the guided audio. To fully integrate, we want to develop the capacity to carry these teachings independently. Move to 1.4 once the breath settles readily into effortlessness.

Part of A Path Between Worlds, a progressive contemplative training.

Transcript

Gently arrive to the present moment, Finding a posture that is relaxed and comfortable, One that allows your body to be as easeful as is available to you right now, A posture that allows you to relax deeply without having to move for the duration of the session. And take one slow deep breath in and let it out slowly and smoothly, As if you're giving your whole body permission to settle. And for the length of this session, Let all your worldly concerns wash away and let your awareness come to rest, Releasing any tension you might be holding. And at the beginning of our practice, Touch the heart of your attention, Connecting with a motivation that is alive for you, Perhaps your longing for freedom, Your aspiration to awaken, And the wish that this practice serves your liberation for yourself and for all beings. If you're sitting upright, Gently lift up through the sternum, Just enough to sense dignity and balance in the posture, Without adding any strain. So feeling comfortable, Relaxed, Upright, Fully at ease, Or remaining attentively awake and alert, Simultaneously melting into the softness of our being and remaining vividly aware. And with your motivation clear, Let your attention travel into the body, Slowly descending from the head, Through the throat, Chest, Into the belly, The hips, And all the way down, Down the legs, To the feet. Noticing all the places of contact with the floor, The cushion, The chair, Just noticing the simple pressure and the points of support. Let these tactile sensations of solidity anchor this moment, And feel how gravity holds you steady. And as you rest into the immediate somatic sensations of contact, There's no need for naming, No need for concepts, And no need to label anything. Just settling, Relaxing into being held. And from this base of solidity, Settle your body in its natural state. Fill your whole somatic field with vivid presence. Letting the luminosity of your awareness suffuse the entire space of the body, Including the feet and the legs, The front of the torso and the back of the body, Your arms, Your hands, Your face. This whole area, Bright and alive, From all the places of contact to the top of your crown, As if your whole body is quietly radiating and vibrating, Permeating with warmth and living energy. And as the in-breath arrives, Notice any place of tightness or discomfort, And attend to these areas with a sense of care. And with the out-breath, Soften and relax your muscles, Releasing any holding. Release the desire to control your experience, The tendency to grasp or to brace. Breathing in, Sensing where the body is contracted, And breathing out, Relaxing your relationship to these sensations. Let the full weight of the body surrender to gravity, No need to hold on to anything, A complete existential release. Breathing in, Attending to discomfort, Areas that are asking for care, And breathing out, Easefully letting go. Relaxing your body more and more deeply with every out-breath, And without losing the vividness of your awareness, Relaxing all the muscles in your face, Any holding in your neck and shoulders, And any contraction of the muscles in your chest and abdomen. Noticing tension around the eyes, The mouth, The jaw, The throat area, And letting go as much as you are able. And as we settle in this way, Remain mindful of the whole body space. And if your awareness contracts, Just see if you can keep stretching it out to include all that arises within this open field. The mind contracts, And you keep opening up to include all the tactile sensations in the space of your awareness. Releasing the aversion of any appearance, Or resting deeper and deeper into the sense of spacious stability. In this way, Settle your whole body in a posture of ease, Of comfort, And relaxation. Truly allowing yourself this gift of being carefree in this moment. While being deeply at ease and deeply present. Now, Taking a deep breath in, Allowing your abdomen to expand. A breath that is as deep as is still comfortable. And very slowly, Take a controlled out-breath. Release and relax your diaphragm as slowly as you are able. And after taking another deep breath in, Let the air flow out gradually and evenly, Softly and slowly. And with the next deep in-breath, Energize your whole body space with the brightness of your awareness. And at the top of your in-breath, Letting go of all control, Just release, And let the air flow out by itself. Continue letting go, Releasing your breath all the way to the center of your body. To the very end. And this is the key instruction, While releasing further and further, Letting go of all effort, Any attempt to manipulate the breath in any way. Letting it go all the way to the end. And in that moment of stillness, Notice how the breath will simply arise of its own accord. Without taking control, And without pulling the breath in, Simply witness your body breathing in spontaneously, And your lungs filling up by themselves. This is the practice of settling the breath in its natural state. With every exhalation, Releasing all air without holding anything in reserve, All the way into that delicate point where it feels we are leaning into vulnerability itself, While resting for a moment in that stillness where we have to trust effortlessness. Releasing, Releasing, Releasing, And then noticing how the gentle stirring of the in-breath arises completely by itself, Filling the whole space of the body with renewed energy. And all we have to do is simply allow the body to breathe by itself, Allowing the inhalations to come up without constraint and without intervention, Without helping it along or hindering it in any way. With every inhalation, Remain aware of the full body space, Stretching your awareness to include the whole field of somatic sensations, And with every exhalation, Relax and release your body more and more deeply, Allowing all the muscles of the body to soften and relax. Releasing the breath further and further, Deeper and deeper, Letting it all flow out by itself without effort, Floating in spacious stillness as we release grasping all the way. And just observe how the breath flows in by itself without effort. This is how we settle the breath in its natural state, Without clinging, Without control, Effortless and unconstrained. Breathing in, Filling the whole body space with bright awareness. Breathing out, Keep relaxing the body and the breath completely, Surrendering yourself fully to this moment, Until the next breath flows in unimpededly. Breathing in effortlessly and breathing out effortlessly. And with every out-breath, As we relax deeper and deeper, Release any thoughts or images, Any memories, Any planning, Any labeling of experiencing. Releasing all efforting, All doing. They arise spontaneously, They dissolve spontaneously. Without grasping after them, They dissolve by themselves. And with every exhalation, Relax your relationship to appearance, Release the breath all the way, And release all activities of your mind. Resting effortlessly in this present moment. Resting as space which holds all experience. Noticing the stillness of space and the movement of fluctuating somatic sensations corresponding to the movement of the breath. Relinquishing all control, Relinquishing all preference. Simply sensations arising in space and disappearing in space. Resting as the sheer luminosity of your natural state. Everything known by itself.