BREATH WATCHING

  The first breathing lesson focuses on the development of Meditative Awareness. It is the critical first step in the "Formula for Transformation". In the Buddhist tradition, it is called Vipassina or Insight Meditation.

It is said that Sidhartha was a very wealthy prince, who gave up all worldly possessions, left his family, and became a wandering monk in search of truth, and enlightenment. After many years of experiment and practice, after countless teachers, and endless prayer, he came to understand that he had done all that was humanly possible in his search for freedom and the cause of suffering. At that moment, he decided to sit under a bhodi tree, to simply sit, to do nothing except be aware of each breath, moment to moment. And while in this state, while immersed in this practice, Enlightenment struck! Freedom came. And the Buddha awakened and was born. 

This simple practice of detached awareness, of watching the flow of breath, of noticing the movement and sensations associated with the act of breathing, became a fundamental aspect of Buddhism, and it forms the essence of countless types of meditation taught today and throughout history. This ability to simply observe life, moment to moment, without judging, resisting, or reacting, is a direct route to higher consciousness and spiritual enlightenment. 

This Conscious Awareness, the ability to simply observe yourself, is vital to the success of Breath Therapy. Power, healing, and transformation are dependent on how quiet, how still, and how open yet focused one's mind becomes. And the benefits of all the breathing exercises are directly proportionate to this skill, this "meditative ability."

PRACTICE:

Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor. 

Close your eyes and focus on the breath. 

Notice the sensations at the tip of your nose, or over the lips as the breath passes in and out. 

Or pay close attention to the rising and falling of the chest. 

Or observe the movement of the belly as the breath comes and goes, 

Tune into the subtle details of each breath. 

Don't control the breath. Don't breathe in any certain way. Don't "do" anything with the breath. Just be an observer. 

Notice that your mind wanders constantly. Pay attention to the constant mental chatter, the internal self-talk, the judging, comparing, associating, remembering, projecting, fantasizing, etc. Notice how busy the mind is, replaying the past, imagining the future. This is the nature of the mind. Don't fight with it. Simply notice it and keep returning your attention to the breath. 

Stay in the present moment, simply looking, listening, and feeling inwardly. Put all of your attention on this breath... and this one... and this one. 

Nothing else to do. Just experience each in-breath and each out-breath fully, directly, completely, moment to moment. 

Each time you notice that you are thinking or talking to yourself, that your mind has wandered, or that you have "spaced out," simply return your awareness to the next inhale... the next exhale. 

Practice this for 10 to 15 minutes, once or twice each day. Be patient. Don't underestimate the power of this technique. The results are subtle and cumulative, yet profound, and tremendously rewarding!