An Introduction to the Mindfulness of Breathing

The Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati) is one of the oldest Buddhist meditation forms. Supposedly the practice the Buddha was doing at the point of reaching Enlightenment, it enables us to integrate around the breath. Bringing calm clarity and leading to deep focus and awareness.

Setting Up For Practice

Make sure that you are comfortable and sitting up with an open chest so that breathing is comfortable. 

Feel that your hands are supported and that your head feels balanced on your neck with your chin slightly tucked in. 

You might like to take a few deep breaths and notice the contact that your body is making with the floor. 

Feel that your body is being supported by the earth beneath you and feel the energy in your body rising upwards to the sky. 

Begin to notice any tension that you might be holding in your body and breathe into that tension and relax on the out breath. 

Begin to pay more attention to your breathing, noticing the movements in your body as you breathe in and breathe out. 

Feel the belly expand on the in-breath and relax on the out-breath.

Take a moment to notice how you are feeling, sad/happy; relaxed/anxious; tired/awake.

Stage One

Continue to breathe normally through your nostrils.

At the end of an out-breath (if you find it helpful) count 'one’; and after the next out-breath count ‘two’, and so on until you get to ‘ten’ and then go back to ‘one' again.

Remember that in this stage and the next we are practising the mindfulness of breathing and not the mindfulness of counting. The counting is a way of noticing that the mind has wandered, which is quite natural, it is what the mind does. When you notice that you’ve become distracted come gently back to the breath and start the count from one. Noticing that you’ve become distracted by thinking or images is a moment of mindfulness, so congratulate yourself!

Stage Two

In this stage, we use the count before each in-breath; so count ‘one’, breath in breath out, count ‘two’ breath in etc. Continue until you get to ‘ten’ and then go back to ‘one’ again. Drop in the count gently so that you actually notice the beginning of each in-breath.

Stage Three

Drop the counting altogether and just be aware of the whole breathing process, noticing the subtle movements in your body on each inhalation and exhalation. There is nothing else to do except for noticing the rhythm of your breathing like the waves breaking on the shore.

Stage Four

In this stage we focus on where the breath first enters and then leaves the body. You may experience a sensation in the nostrils, the back of the throat or on the upper lip. You may experience the coolness of the air as you breathe in and the warmth of the breath as you breathe out. These sensations can be quite subtle therefore so also maintain a general awareness of the breathing in the body. At the end of the stages sit quietly noticing where your body is making contact with the earth and take a few moments absorbing the effects of the practice.

If you are a beginner, 20 minutes is a good length of time with equal time for each stage.