Mindfulness Of Breath (A Simple Susokukan)

This is a short meditation is based on the Zen Buddhist practice of susokukan – counting the breath – and it can be practised by anyone, whether you are new to mindfulness or well experienced.

It is easy to practice at any time of day and can be helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed, or simply want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of life to reconnect and centre yourself.

The physiological benefits of being present with and experiencing the breath are well known and can help to slow the heart rate, lower blood pressure, and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs the "rest and digest" functions.

I hope you will find it helpful. Namaste and gassho!

Transcript

We're going to spend a little bit of time working with a very simple but effective meditation and mindfulness practice of counting the breath.

Come to a comfortable seated position,

Ideally with knees slightly lower than the hips,

So if you need to sit on a cushion to facilitate that,

Please do.

Feet hip width apart and planted squarely on the floor.

If you need any support for your lower back,

Please also take a cushion there.

Feeling the sit bones connecting with the chair so the spine can adopt its natural curves and we're in a relaxed upright position.

Maybe drop the chin slightly so you can feel the back of the neck long and open.

Have the hands in your lap or on your knees or on your thighs so the shoulders can release the weight of the arms down away from the ears.

Allow the jaw to be soft,

The tongue resting gently on the roof of the mouth behind the teeth,

Breathing quietly and gently through the nostrils if you can.

Allow your gaze to lower but remain expansive or if you prefer to close your eyes to allow your attention to turn within then please do.

Experiencing a passive,

Effortless in-breath through the nostrils,

Maybe you can feel that cooling sensation as the air comes in and the slightly hotter breath as it leaves through the nose,

Allowing the breath to become quieter and calmer.

Knowing that when we breathe like this,

As a calming effect on our whole system.

Noticing the lowest place in your body that you can feel the breath coming in and out in a relaxed way and as we establish this relationship with our breath,

We can start to count the in-breath and the out-breath.

In-breath 1,

Out-breath 2,

In-breath 3,

Out-breath 4,

In-breath 5,

Out-breath 6,

In-breath 7,

Out-breath 8,

In-breath 9,

Out-breath 10,

Back to 1.

In-breath 1,

Out-breath 2,

In-breath 3,

Out-breath 4,

In-breath 5,

Out-breath 6,

In-breath 7,

Out-breath 8,

In-breath 9,

Out-breath 10,

Starting again at 1.

In-breath 1,

In-breath 3,

Out-breath 4,

In-breath 5,

Out-breath 6,

In-breath 7,

Out-breath 8,

In-breath 9,

Out-breath 10.

We'll continue counting silently by ourselves.

A couple more rounds feeling our whole system being calmed and soothed by the breath,

Counting the in-breath and the out-breath.

And when we've completed our next round of 10,

Just release the counting but continue to take comfort from this passive healing breath,

Knowing that at any time we can come back to our relationship with our breath and that it can offer us comfort and support.