Breathing meditation calms your mind

Eisha Sarkar
Posted on Hello Wellness on Oct 18 2010 7:47AM

It’s only when you try to sleep, you become aware of how disturbed your mind really is. You want to meditate, but you don't know how to start. Well, luckily for an overworked individual like you, Buddhism suggests a very simple breathing meditation technique that requires little time to learn, but provides peace and happiness that last for long.

Meditate for peace
Breathing meditation helps you calm makes you happy. Why breath? Because it is portable; you have it with you and don’t have to bother about forgetting your worry beads. Breath is free, is complete, is 100 per cent natural (you can't get more organic than this), is effortless and has a connection with vital life force. The simple, natural rhythm breath follows leads you to peace.

How do you do it?
Sustained attention on the breath is training in stillness, the ability to be content with little and to remain attentive. Here's how you do it:

• Sit down for meditation and fix your attention on the breath at that point where you most easily notice it say, at the belly. Very consciously watch the sequence of inhalation and exhalation as you watch your abdomen rise and fall. Begin counting each breath. Do this for about 10 to 30 minutes at one sitting, twice a day for several weeks.
• Mentally follow the course of the breath. Hold your attention at the belly and observe the physical phenomenon of breathing, the progress of inhalation, the start of the exhalation. Do this for 30 to 60 minutes; twice a day for several months.
• When you are mindful of your breathing, the breath becomes more and more subtle - serene and tranquil. The body calms and ceases to feel fatigue. The breath becomes more and more subtle until it seems that it has ceased. At this point, your mind is free from the five hindrances  --  sensual desire, anger, drowsiness, restlessness and doubt.

Is it difficult?
Some people experience feelings of restlessness or discomfort in the beginning because their tense bodies resist relaxation. Once you master this stress-reducing technique, the mind and body will be much stronger and healthier and ready to face the pressures that await the day. Just watch your breath and you will be able to blow your troubles away.