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Here the object of meditation or awareness is the natural flow of breath. Note the word 'natural'. In Breath meditation, unlike in Pranayama, we do not manipulate the breath. We observe it, as it is. Breath is the most natural object of meditation which is alway available, as long as we are alive. And also, breath is the bridge between body and mind. When we are agitated our breath is shallow and fast, when we are calm our breath is deep and slow. Observing the natural flow of breath calms the mind.
How / Where to be aware of the breath?
Observe the touch sensation created by the flow of breath either inside the nostrils or at the tip of the nose or between the tip of the nose and above the upper lips (moustache area). When air flows in/ out it creates a touch sensation is these areas. Depending on the structure of your nose or concentration you can choose one of the places: nostrils or tip of nose or moustache area. But stick on to it. The in-breath is cooler than the out-breath, because of the body heating up the out-breath. And normally the breath switches between left and right nostrils every few minutes. All these will be evident on practice. If you are unable to observe the touch sensation in any of the three areas then try holding a finger before the tip of the nose, about a centimeter away, without touching it. Then you will feel the touch sensation on your finger. Then look for the same type of sensation inside the nostrils or tip of nose or moustache area. Or wet the rim of the edge of nostrils or moustache area with water, when the moisture evaporates due to in breath or out-breath, it will produce a cooling sensation. This is a more evident sensation than the touch sensation itself. And this will help you to catch hold of the more subtle touch sensation. But some may find the touch sensation too subtle to observe. Then we have another alternative!
Observe the movements created by the flow of breath ; observe the up/ down or expanding/relaxing movements of chest or stomach. To catch the movement, initially you may find it helpful to keep one of your palms on chest or abdomen.
Try all these: Observing touch sensation inside nostrils / tip of the nose / moustache area or Observing movements of the chest / stomach. Whichever you feel easy / comfortable to observe, and decide once forever. Don't be swaping places every month or so. This obstructs the development of concentration.
Relaxed Attention:
Don't focus hard on the object of meditation, here breath. Attend to breath in a relaxed, yet attentive state of mind. If you focus hard, you will feel strained or tired soon. Don't strain your eye brows / fore-head / the inner parts of the head, this will lead to head-aches or nervous troubles. Relax the tension in any part of your body: fists, fingers, knees etc.
Posture:
Either sit on the floor on a comfortable, but not too thick mat or sit on a chair (no sofas please). But in either case, you should not be leaning on any surface - wall or back of the chair. If you lean, you will feel drowsy very soon. In case you have back pains, use a chair with just lower back support (like those used while working with computers).
Eyes - Close or Open or Half-open?
A beginner might feel sleepy, if he meditates with eyes closed. Keeping eyes open, he might get distracted with visual objects. The most common method suggested in Buddhist tradition is to keep eyes 'half-open', that is, gaze along the nose, downward on the floor, about one or two foot before you, without focussing on any particular object. Don't try to focus on the tip of your nose, that will strain your eyes. Just gaze 'along' the tip of the nose.
Distractions:
Lack of Concentration / Wandering mind : As soon as you notice that your mind has wandered from the breath, drop the other thought and return back 'softly' (that is without agitation) to your breath. If within a span of a few moments the mind wanders 100 times away from breath, bring it back to breath 101 times. This is the only way to develop attention or concentration. By softly returning back to the breath every time, we train the mind slowly. And slowly mind will learn being calm and focussed. It is just like training a wild horse. It does'nt happen overnight. It takes time, but it is not impossible. There are two common techniques to improve concentration or decrease wandering:
Noting: During the in-breath make a mental note 'In' and during the out-breath make a mental not 'Out'. This helps to maintain more attention on the breath. But the noting should be 'soft', the attention should be on the breath and not on the noting itself. If you miss noting any breath, you can always catch it the next time! Because it is always there.
Counting: Count 1 to 10 for the in / out breaths. If the breathing is fast just count the numbers for the out breaths as in-out(1), in-out(2), and so on. If the breathing is slow count the both the breaths as in(1)-out(1), in(2)-out(2), and so on. Once you reach 10, start from 1 again. If you miss the count due to wandering of mind, start from 1 again.
Try noting and counting, and find with which you are more comfortable
and stick on to it.When attention is sufficiently developed, noting / counting
can be abandoned and 'bare awareness' of the breath can be maintained.
In 'bare' awareness, we are just aware of the breath, even without
the thought that 'I am aware of my breath'.
Drowsiness or Sleepiness : Check
your posture. If you are stooping foward / backward or if you are leaning
on a surface, you are prone to feel sleepy. Take a few deep breaths and
continue. Try washing your face, or being aware of breath in standing posture.
Improving the practice:
To begin with we focussed just on touch sensation or movement due to
breath. After you are comfortable with that, you can improve the practice,
by being aware deeply, that is, by being aware of more details like length
of the breath (long or short, deep or shallow), by being aware of
the thoughts which rise and pass away in your mind-space. As you continue
with your practice, you will feel relaxation or ease or joy, just be aware
of it, without losing the awareness of breath.
The Buddha:
The monk Siddhartha, after he renounced the world, practised meditation under the then yogic masters. But he was not satisfied with his attainments. He knew that even though he has attained great levels of spiritual progress, he is not yet out of the wheel of birth, old age , disease and death. Then he practised meditation and severe austerities all by himselves. Few days before his total enlightenment, he suddently remembered that he had attained calm mind states unintentionally when he was a small boy, just by being aware of his breath! He practised it and became the Enlightened One, the Buddha. Later during his spiritual ministry he taught the awareness of in-breath and out-breath many a times. The Anapanasati sutta contains his instructions, the core of which is given below.
The Core of Anapanasati sutta:
And how, Bhikkhus, is mindfulness of breathing developed and cultivated, so that it is of great fruit and great benefit?
Here a Bhikkhu, gone to the forest or to the root of a tree or an empty
hut, sits down; having folded his legs
crosswise, set his body erect, and established mindfulness in front
of him,
[0] Ever mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out.
**********
[1] Breathing in long, he understands: 'I breathe in long';
or breathing out long, he understands: 'I breathe out
long.'
[2] Breathing in short, he understands: 'I breathe in short';
or breathing out short he understands 'I breathe out
short'.
[3] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in experiencing the whole
body [of breath]'; he trains thus 'I shall breathe out
experiencing the whole body [of breath]';
[4] He trains thus: 'I shall breath in tranquilizing the bodily
formation'; he trains thus: 'I shall breath out
tranquilizing the bodily
formation'.
**********
[5] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in experiencing joy'; He trains thus: 'I shall breathe out experiencing joy'.
[6] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in experiencing Happiness';
He trains thus: 'I shall breathe out experiencing
happiness.'
[7] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in experiencing the
mental formation'; he trains thus: 'I shall breathe out
experiencing the mental formation';
[8] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in tranquilizing the
mental formation.' He trains thus: 'I shall breathe out
tranquilizing the mental
formation.'
**********
[9] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in experiencing the mind';
he trains thus 'I shall breathe out experiencing the
mind.
[10] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in gladdening the mind'; he trains thus: 'I shall breathe out gladdening the mind.'
[11] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in stilling the mind'; he trains thus: 'I shall breathe out stilling the mind.'
[12] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in liberating the mind'; he trains thus: '1 shall breathe out liberating the mind.'
**********
[13] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in contemplating impermanence';
he trains thus: 'I shall breathe out
contemplating
impermanence.'
[14] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in contemplating fading
away'; he trains thus: 'I shall breathe out contemplating
fading
away.'
[15] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in contemplating cessation';
he trains thus: 'I shall breathe out contemplating
cessation.'
[16] He trains thus: 'I shall breathe in contemplating relinquishment';
he trains thus: 'I shall breath out
contemplating relinquishment.'
"Bhikkhus, that is how mindfulness of breathing is developed
and cultivated, so that it is of great fruit and great
benefit"
Reference: A translation by Maurice Walshe, quoted in 'The Anapanasati sutta' by Ven. U Vimalaramsi. The web-link for this book given below.
Notes on Anapanasati sutta:
The first tetrad is being aware of the breath and the body. This forms the core of the practice. We begin by being aware of the breath in step [0]. When we become comfortable with the awareness of in-breath and out-breath, we focus our attention on further details like longness or shortness of the breaths in steps [1] and [2]. Then we focus our attention for the full course of the breath, the in-breath and then a short lull , then the out-breath and then a short lull. During the short lulls the flow of the breath slowly reverses the direction. This is one interpretations of being aware of the 'whole body' in step [3]. So here 'whole body' means 'whole breath body'. Another interpretation is to be aware of all the senstations that arise in the whole of the body as we breath in and out. In step[4] we calm down all the bodily-formations or processes. This can be taken to mean, simply, relaxing the whole body or any bodily discomfort. This is a crucial step, which makes the body and hence the mind, calm down during the meditation. It is this step which makes meditation a pleasant experience. All the other tetrads are being aware of the other events which arise when we are aware of the breath. The first tetrad is to be 'practised', the other tetrads are to be 'observed'. So to begin with, we just need to practise the first tetrad.
The second tetrad is being aware of the feeling that arise during the process of meditation.
The third tetrad is being aware of the mind and mind-processes.
The fourth tetrad is being aware of the fundamental facts our existence and release. A discussion of these is not necessary for our objective of presenting the meditation techniques.
A detailed modern commentary on Anapanasati sutta by Venerable U Vimalaramsi is available at:
Ven. U Vimalaramsi's commentary on Anapanasati sutta
More details on breath-meditation, and Buddhism in general, is available at:
Buddha on Anapanasati in other Pali suttas:
Reference: The following quotations are from 'Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati )- Buddhists texts from the Pali Canon and Commentaries' by Bhikkhu Nanamoli, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka. The page nos are cited after every quotation.
This respiration-mindfulness, bhikkhus, developed and repeatedly practised, is both peaceful and sublime, unadulterated and of happy life; it causes to vanish at once and suppresses evil and unprofitable thoughts as soon as they arise.
Just as, bhikkhus, in the last month of the hot season, the dirt and dust blow about, and then, out of season, a great rain cloud causes them to vanish at once and suppresses them; so, indeed, bhikkhus, respirtation-mindfulness, developed and repeatedly practised, is both peaceful and sublime, unadulterated and of happy life; it causes to vanish at once and suppresses evil and unprofitable thoughts as soon as they arise.
Ref: ibid, pg. 97
When, Rahula, respiration-mindfulness is thus developed, thus repeatedly
practised, the final in-breaths and
out-breaths, too, (are) known (when) they cease, not unknown.
Ref: ibid, pg. 97
From respiration-mindfulness, bhikkhus, thus developed, thus repeatedly practised, one of two fruits is to be expected: final knowledge here and now, or, if there is some remainder of clinging, the state of non-return.
Ref: ibid, pg. 98
If, bhikkus, the wandering ascetics of other sects ask you thus: 'In what way of life, friend, does the recluse Gotama mainly dwell during the residence of the rains?', you, bhikkhus, being questioned thus, should reply to those wandering ascetics of other sects thus: ' In respiration-mindfulness, friends, does the recluse Gotama mainly dwell during the residence of the rains.'
Were it, bhikkhus, rightly speaking to be said of anything,'This is the life of the noble ones, this is the life of purity, this is the life of the Tathagata', it is of respiration-mindfulness, indeed, that rightly speaking is should be said,'This is that (kind of) life.'
Those bhikkhus who as trainees dwell with their ideal as yet unattained, aspiring to the supreme surcease of bondage, for them respiration-mindfulness, developed and repeatedly practised, leads to the destruction of the cankers. And those bhikkhus who are arahats, in whom the cankers are destroyed, who have lived the life, done what is to be done, laid down the burden, reached the highest good, destroyed the fetters of becoming, who knowing rightly are delivered, for them respiration-mindfulness, developed and repeatedly practised, leads to a happy life here and now and to mindfulness and clear comprehension.
Ref: ibid, pg. 104
One thing, bhikkhus, developed and repeatedly practised leads to complete revulsion, to fading away, to cessation, to pacification, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. What is this one ting? Respiration-mindfulness.
Ref: ibid, pg. 105