Chapter 39 Centering the Storm with 50-Zen Breath Meditation It was profound for me,
Not only during it,
But afterwards.
I just sat there for another ten minutes.
YOLANDA The biggest obstacle to meditation is thinking.
How to stop the incessant flow of thoughts?
Pay attention to your breath as it is occurring.
That's how.
In the yoga tradition,
This exercise is not considered meditation,
Much as Kapalabhati is not considered a pranayama technique.
Both are considered preliminary practices.
Just as the physical practices of hatha yoga,
The asanas,
Prepare one for breath work or pranayama,
The breathing practices prepare one for concentration,
Or dharana.
In turn,
Concentration practices prepare you for meditation,
Dhyana.
The body-breath-mind sequence is explicitly laid out in what you may have heard called the eight limbs of yoga.
Those eight limbs are 1.
The yamas and niyamas,
Which are ethics and morals.
2.
Visana,
Physical exercises and postures.
3.
Pranayama,
Or breathing practices.
4.
Pratyahara,
Which means sensory withdrawal or deep inquiry with sensory isolation.
5.
Dharana,
Concentrative techniques.
6.
Dhyana,
Meditation techniques.
7.
Samadhi,
Realization or insight or enlightenment.
50 to Zen is a dharana technique for strengthening focus and concentration.
Only after zero does dharana transition to dhyana or meditation.
And by the way,
The word Zen is simply Japanese for dharana.
This technique comes from Eric Schiffman's book,
Yoga,
The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness.
Eric calls it simply counting backwards.
The counting focuses your attention.
Keeping up with the count forces you to pay attention,
To not wander off.
It gives your mind just enough of a challenge to keep it occupied.
In meditation circles,
This is known as throwing the dog bone.
BENEFITS The countdown gently concentrates your total awareness on the present moment,
Providing a way to destress simply by shifting your attention away from thoughts,
Worries,
Anxieties and concerns.
Cultivates mindfulness.
Strengthens concentration.
The ability to shift from multitasking to unitasking at will.
Preparations.
Time,
Set and setting.
Takes less than five minutes.
Eliminate all environmental distractions so you will not be disturbed or distracted during the exercise.
Posture Any posture will work as long as your spine is in anatomical neutral,
So long as the spine is not bent,
Twisted,
Etc.
I started to say as long as your spine is straight,
But you might take the word literally.
Unless specifically instructed otherwise,
A straight spine means maintaining its four natural curves.
What to watch for You are not to control your breathing.
It will slow down automatically.
Simply focus on each half breath as you count 50 to 0.
This sequence sets the stage for the effortless meditation that follows.
It's expected that you'll get distracted at some point,
Many times more likely.
Don't fret.
Don't beat yourself up about it.
To do so would heap more turbulence on top of what's already in your system.
So what should you do?
Simply observe it.
Say something inward like,
Say something to yourself like,
Oh,
My mind's wandered off.
How interesting.
And then without further ado,
Gently bring your attention back to your right here,
Right now half breath.
Practice sequence 1,
Quick scan or inquiry.
Assess your overall state.
Take note of current conditions,
Thoughts,
Feelings,
Energy level,
Body sensations.
Notice how your breathing reflects the overall situation,
Both inside and outside your body.
Notice everything.
Gradually narrow your attention onto just your breathing.
Before you start counting,
Take a few deep,
Slow breaths.
Just before you're ready,
Take one more big inhale.
Then the first exhale is mentally and silently name it 50.
As you inhale mentally and silently name it 49.
Exhale 48.
Inhale 47.
Exhale 46.
And continue like this until you reach 20.
Now from 20 to 0,
You count only exhales.
You do not count the inhales.
So the exhale then is 20.
On the inhale,
Listen to the sound and feel it,
But do not count that breath,
That inhale.
Exhale 19.
Inhale but don't count it.
Exhale 18.
Inhale don't count it.
Exhale 17.
And so on.
Down to exhale 2.
Inhale exhale 1.
Inhale exhale 0.
Now rest inside the eye of the storm.
Picture yourself inside the eye of the storm or a hurricane lantern.
There is no wind to disturb your mind.
The candle of attention does not flicker.
Feel breathing.
Hear breathing.
Bathe yourself in the silence of thoughtlessness.
You have arrived at Zen.
Linger here for at least a few breaths.
Better yet a few minutes.
Enjoy this.
