Have you ever tried sitting motionless for 15 or 20 minutes in order to feel calmer, more peaceful and free of tension? The following exercise will allow you to breathe in calmness and breathe out tension…

Close your eyes.

Think of yourself as a vessel holding muddy water—the longer you sit still the more sediment can settle at the bottom so you can see the clear water.

As you sit in the present moment you may notice your mind going through a series of events like pictures passing through a projector—thoughts of the past or imaginings of the future.

Take three deep breaths.

Then breathe normally allowing your breath to flow in and out freely.

Notice the feeling of your breath going in and out of your nostrils.

Notice the pause between your inhalation and exhalation.

And notice the pause between your exhalation and inhalation.

As you focus your attention on the breath, ignore any thought, memory, sound, smell, taste, and focus your attention exclusively on the breath, nothing else.

Notice how your breaths become longer as you relax and focus on the breath.

Your mind and body are becoming calmer.

If your mind tries to wander…and you find yourself remembering people and places and books and food and the laundry and the bills and your “to do” list and your vacation…return your focus to your breath.

To increase your concentration, count silently to yourself—While breathing in count “one, one, one, one…” until the lungs are full of fresh air. While breathing out count “two, two, two, two…” until the lings are empty of fresh air. Then while breathing in again count “three, three, three, three…” until the lungs are full again and while breathing out count again “four, four, four, four…” until the lungs are empty of fresh air. Count up to ten and repeat as many times as necessary to keep the mind focused on the breath.

Once your mind is focused on the breath, give up counting.

After inhaling do not wait to notice the brief pause before exhaling but connect the inhaling and exhaling, so you can notice both inhaling and exhaling as one continuous breath.

A child learning to use scissors concentrates on the dotted line where he wants to cut. He needs to become familiar with the weight and size of the scissors and his ability to manipulate the tool. But his main focus of attention is on that dotted line! It’s the same for you when you are learning the art of breathing to free your mind. You need to keep your mind straight on the point where you feel the air moving in and out of your nostrils.

As you practice, you may feel your body getting lighter as if you could float. And as your concentration deepens your breath becomes subtle as you have less awareness of it.

Happy practicing and may peace be yours along with the wisdom to handle your daily problems.

Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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