How to Meditate with Breathing

In Buddhism, meditation through breathing is called anapana sati. There are many different meditation techniques that involve breathing. This article covers the most basic technique of simple breathe-in, breathe-out breathing. Practicing this technique of meditative, aware breathing for as little as five minutes a day will slow your heart rate and relax your entire body.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A quiet place

1. Silence for practicing any form of meditation is ideal, especially for beginners. At the very least find a quiet, private place. If you are at work, you can duck into an empty conference room. If you are at a social function, step outside or even try the bathroom!
2. There are four traditional postures for meditation: sitting, reclining, standing and walking. Buddhist text recommend sitting cross-legged with a straight back as the ideal posture. Experiment with a few different positions and see how you feel most comfortable.
3. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Feel and observe your breath. Are you breathing through your mouth or your nose? Can you feel your breath on the back of your throat? Is your breath hot? Notice as breath enters your lungs and then your stomach. Imagine it filling your body with life. Take a few moments to just get comfortable and relax.
4. Now you are ready to begin meditating. Focus only on your breath. Let all other thoughts slowly and peacefully exit your mind. Exhale them and be present. For beginner, it will be useful to count breathes to help focus remain on breathing. In intermediate or advanced meditation practice you may want to use a mantra (repeated phrase such as om or love) to help focus your energy.
5. If you feel your focus slipping away to other thoughts return to step four.