Practice Breathing Meditation (Anapanasati) in 7 Steps

Many people believe that meditation should be learned from a skilled and experienced instructor. There is some truth in that. But you don’t have to fear because Merit Article is your closest instructor to provide solutions for your daily problems.

There is a rumor that meditation causes various side effects. Some people claim that meditation creates anxiety. There are different types of meditation in the world. Today, there are modern western meditation techniques.

But there are more ancient and effective meditation methods in the world that are used for different purposes. Anapanasati is one such form of meditation, besides this there are many other forms of meditation techniques of yogis. These types of meditation methods usually do not have such side effects. So there is no need to think about it too much.

Anapanasati is a form of meditation in ancient India. But today we get this invincible meditation technique through Buddhist teachings. Gautama Buddha teaches us about this method of meditation in the “Anapanasati Sutta” found in the Tripitaka.

This Anapanasati is a Pali word; “ana” means breathing in, “pana” means breathing out, “sati” means consciousness. The purpose of this is to become aware of our breathing-in (inhalation) and breathing-out (exhalation).

So in this way, what is expected by being mindful of the breath? First, you have been breathing since the day you were born, right? But have you ever thought that I am now breathing in and I am now breathing out? Normally none of us do that. Because breath is an involuntary action.

If so, why does the Buddha teach us to be mindful of this breath? The primary goal of Buddhism is to realize nirvana. Nirvana is a very deep phenomenon that needs to be described in a separate article, so I am not going to talk about it now.

However, in order to achieve this entire goal; nirvana, the human mind itself must be controlled. Our mind is always scattered, quite a chaotic thing. So, first of all, this scattered mind should be focused on one purpose. If we are going to talk about these things, this article will not teach you how to meditate.

However, I will explain simply and briefly. We usually use this meditation today to calm our mind by removing its agitated nature.

01. Choosing the Right Place

It is very important to choose a place where there is no external influence to do this meditation. The key is silence. Choose a place where there are less people.

02. Using Correct Posture

Sit on the floor or in a comfortable seat in a meditative position. When sitting like this, it is better if the back does not lean somewhere. It is important to sit comfortably. You can sit on the floor with a yoga mat, or else, sit comfortably on the bed, on the couch, under a tree, or wherever you feel comfortable. But this is not a meditation that can be done while standing or walking.

03. Getting Started

A good place was chosen. A good posture is chosen, now let’s begin the meditation in a systematic way. Close your eyes. Take a moment to focus on the sounds you hear (even the sound of a leaf falling from a tree) and the things you feel. Remember this is not a part of meditation, we are still entering meditation.

04. Count Your Breath

Start counting the breaths. After one inhale and exhale count as ‘1’ and after the second inhale and exhale it as ‘2’ and count to 10. This is a simple method for those who are new to meditation. Count the number of breaths in this manner from 1 to 10 three times.

05. Finding the Entry Point

This is exactly when meditation begins. First, correctly identify the point where the breath touches when inhaling and exhaling. Maybe it’s the upper part of the lip, or it can be near the opening of the nose, it can be right in the middle of the nose. Wherever it is, identify where the breath touches your body before it enters and when it exits. Then establish the mind in that place.

06. Consciousness

Step 5 Continuing, after placing the mind on the point of entry and exit, visualize the breath wave entering and exiting from that point. To explain further, be aware of the inflow and outflow of our breath. Notice whether the breath wave is long or short, rough or soft, heavy or light.

Some meditation instructors and even some monks advise to think about the nature of the breath stream. But look carefully at the word I have used for it. I have used the word ‘notice’.

There is a reason for that. I said at the beginning of the article that the purpose of this meditation is to settle our scattered mind. So, one little rule applies here. That is, ‘it is forbidden to think while doing this meditation’.

All your mind has to do is watch the inflow and outflow of breath from that point of entry we chose earlier, like a gatekeeper watching the people going in and out of that door. The gatekeeper can see what the people who pass through that door look like, what clothes they are wearing, and many other things.

But just as the gatekeeper doesn’t follow those people, your mind can’t even think about where your breath is going. Your mind is not allowed to follow the breath.

Let me remind you again, the mind is forbidden to follow the breath, it can only see the breath. That is, what should be done is to establish consciousness only on the breath itself.

07. Deal With Distractions

When you are meditating mindfully in this way, any internal or external force is likely to break your concentration. Don’t worry. In any case, notice that your mind has moved away from where it was previously set. As quickly as possible, bring it back to the previous point of inhalation and exhalation. Come and be mindful of the breath as before.

Disturbances in the internal environment are hunger, sweat, back pain, etc. Disturbances from the external environment are phone rings, birds chirping, someone talking to you, etc.