by
Paul
Benhaimwe enjoy its sensations, we explore our experience of our breath
and finally we find we are concentrated on it. At this point of
genuine contented concentration, other distractions, worries and
the myriad of life's complications have for a moment fallen away,
allowing a deeper sense of ourselves to emerge.
Firstly prepare: find a good sitting posture as described
above. Next consciously relax every part of the body from your
toes, feet and ankles all the way to the tips of the fingers and the
crown of the head. Pay special attention to relaxing the features of
the face, smile. Gently close the eyes, and decide to meditate;
however you may be feeling now decide to give your attention to
the experience of the breath. Breathing through the nose feel the
various breath sensations, the breath in the nose, the back of the
throat, the lungs filling and emptying, the movement of the lower
body, the subtle permeation of the body by the breath to even the
tips of the toes.
Now use four simple stages to allow yourself to more
deeply experience the breath in its fullness and absorbing
ourselves in our inner depths.
- Breathing naturally and calmly we start to count the breaths at
the end of each out-breath. Count ten breaths in this way and then
start at one again. - Now in a similar way keep your awareness of the sensation of
the breath in the body and count each breath just before the in-
breath, again count ten breaths and then repeat the sequence.
In both of these stages the focus is on the breath, not the
counting, so if you lose count or your mind drifts off to other things
don't worry, just breathe and start counting at one again.
Remember the counting should be light and gentle.