Search results for: "The Breath"

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  2. Finding Balance
     … You direct thoughts to the breath and then evaluate what you’ve done: Is the breath appropriate right now? And how about the way you’re relating to the breath: Is that appropriate? If you have trouble staying with the body in the present moment—in other words, the more you’re focused on it, the more agitated you get—the Buddha recommends dropping … 
  3. The Lessons of Equanimity
     … You direct your thoughts to the breath and then you evaluate: Are you staying well with the breath? Does the breath feel good? How might it feel better? This way you bring the body and the mind together with the glue of a comfortable feeling inside. Once there is a comfortable feeling, you can think of it spreading to the different parts of the … 
  4. Realities Right Here
     … What’s the best way to pay attention to the breath in the body? What are the best perceptions to have around the breath? You can think of the breath coming in almost anywhere in the body. But notice, where does it feel like it’s coming in? Where does the movement of the breath start? It starts in the body—because we’re … 
  5. W.W.B.R.
    There are times when you sit down to focus on the breath and the mind is right there, and it takes to the breath. Ajaan Fuang would say that the mind takes to the breath in the same way a kite takes to the wind. You spread your awareness through the body and it stays there. You get interested in how the breath energy … 
  6. Unraveling the Present
     … You’re directing your thoughts to the breath and you’re evaluating the breath. Then there are mental fabrications, feeling and perception, and those are right at the breath as well. There’s the feeling of pleasure or pain, or the neutral feelings that come with the breath. And then perception: Those are the labels you put on things when you say, “Okay, that … 
  7. The Quality of Your Awareness
     … You allow the breath to grow more quiet, more serene. The word “serene” here connects with one of the factors for awakening. You try to quiet down the movements of the breath. You also try to quiet down the feelings and perceptions in the mind. In other words, figure out how you might conceive of the breath, how you might picture the breath to … 
  8. How to Feed Mindfulness
     … Notice, when the breath comes in, where it’s feeling good, which part of the breath cycle feels nicest. Is it the middle of the breath, the beginning of the breath, the end of the breath? Can you notice when the breath is getting too long? Can you catch yourself squeezing the breath as it goes out? When you squeeze it, you’re weakening … 
  9. Immersed in the Body
     … Here we’re working with the breath. When we say to focus on the breath, it’s an unfortunate image. It gives the impression that your mind is like a camera, and you’re going to focus the lens of the camera on something outside of the camera. It’d be better to say, “Wear the breath. Put it on, wear it. Think of … 
  10. The Skill of Happiness
     … Like right now, you have an image of the breath in your mind. You can ask yourself, “What kind of image would be helpful right now?” Especially, what kind of image of the breath would help make the breath more comfortable? You can think of the breath, not so much as air coming in and out of the lungs, but as the flow of … 
  11. Strength of Concentration
     … And when the body is well-nourished like this, then the breath can be more still, more calm, and the body won’t be starved. So that’s something you want to work toward: breathing with the whole body, asking yourself, “Where in the body is the breath not going? Where are there patterns of tension? Where are you squeezing the blood, squeezing the … 
  12. The Desire to End All Desires
     … You do what you can to get the mind to stay with the breath. Sometimes you need to use a meditation word; sometimes you use counting. Ajaan Lee has an interesting method of counting. He says you start counting the breaths one through 10, and then one through nine, one through eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one. By that time, the … 
  13. Respect
     … For instance, we’re going to keep the breath in mind. But keeping the breath in mind encompasses the other frames of reference as well. As you’re focusing on the breath, you want to pay attention to how the feelings in the body and the feelings in the mind relate to the breath. What way of breathing is comfortable? What way of breathing … 
  14. Meditation as Play
     … Working with the breath means playing with the breath. What kind of breathing would gladden your mind right now? What way would be fun to breathe? Can you think of breathing in and out through the palms of your hands, the soles of your feet, through the base of your spine? What way of perceiving the breath would make it more interesting right now … 
  15. The Wear & Tear of Life
     … It’s just the breath—just keeping the mind with the breath. That helps you to put down some of your burdens for a while. And then as the mind stays with the breath continually, the fact that you’re not forced to jump around a lot—you can stay all the way through the hour if you want, because the breath is always … 
  16. Mindfulness 2.0
     … So anything related to the breath, anything that helps you settle down with the breath: Yes. And once you’re here, what do you do with the breath? Ardency in this case means being especially sensitive to the breath and to what kind of breathing would feel really good right now. After all, the purpose of right mindfulness is to lead into right concentration … 
  17. Fire
     … Then work on the necessary skills – like right now, as you’re working on the breath. There are different ways you can work with the breath. You can consciously tell yourself, “Okay, now I’m going to lengthen the breath,” – or “shorten the breath” and see how the body reacts. See how the mind reacts. And how about the quality of how heavy or … 
  18. Hope
     … In the body, of course, the first thing we’ve got is the breath. You can explore the breathing. There’s a lot more to the breath than just in and out. Try to notice, when it comes in, how does it come in? What are your subconscious actions around bringing the breath in? Do you have to tense up a part of the … 
  19. Subduing Greed & Distress
     … The only thing to remember is the fact that you want to stay with the breath and you want to settle down with the breath. That’s what right mindfulness is all about. It’s there to get you into right concentration. You look at the frames of reference that are being offered there. There’s the body, there’s feeling, and there’s … 
  20. The Wisdom of Dualities
     … being here with the breath; noticing how the breath feels throughout the body; developing a sense of ease around the breath; and then allowing that ease to spread. Think of the breath as your first experience of the body, your primary experience of the body, so that when the breath is easeful, you can let that ease spread anywhere in the body. Give it … 
  21. Adjust the Flame
     … Find one spot in the body that’s sensitive to the breath, one that feels really good when the breath is just right, and not so good when it’s not right. Take that as your guide. Often this is in the area around the heart, but different people will find it in different spots. So, find your spot. Watch it all the way … 
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