1. Mindfulness of Breath
Whereas there are a lot of variations of this observe, this straightforward model is frequent to many Buddhist traditions and is a mainstay of the secular mindfulness motion. It’s a basis of the trail to enlightenment and affords speedy advantages to our well being, happiness, and well-being.
Sit cross-legged on a meditation cushion or on a straight-backed chair. The necessary factor is to be upright, grounded, and relaxed. Along with your eyes open, let your gaze relaxation comfortably as you look barely downward about six inches in entrance of you. Place your consideration repeatedly on every in-breath and out-breath, whereas additionally remaining conscious of the surroundings round you.
Gently observe when you will have been distracted by ideas, with out criticizing your self, and return your consideration to the breath. On this observe, ideas usually are not judged nearly as good or dangerous. You merely acknowledge them and return to the breath.
2. Mixing Thoughts and Area
That is mindfulness of breath with a Vajrayana taste. It’s attributed to Gampopa, a founding father of the Kagyu lineage, and was the principle meditation observe taught within the West by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. It combines mindfulness or focus with the open consciousness of such practices as Dzogchen and shikantaza.
Place your consideration on the out-breath as within the earlier observe. Let your consideration exit with the breath and dissolve into the house round you. Relaxation your thoughts in that open house or hole with out putting your consideration on the in-breath.
Place your consideration once more on the subsequent out-breath, following it out and mixing your thoughts with house because it dissolves. Relaxation in that open consciousness. Proceed meditating on this manner.
3. Tonglen
Tonglen, which suggests “taking and sending,” is a visualization observe utilizing the breath to broaden our compassion. It reverses the best way ego often operates. After we put ourselves first, we strive to soak up what’s good for us and ship away what causes struggling. After we put others first, we do the other—we take of their struggling and ship out our happiness. That is the residing motion of bodhichitta—the enlightened coronary heart–thoughts of the buddhas—that’s cultivated in tonglen.
Taking our meditation posture, we start the observe with the in-breath, visualizing that we’re taking within the struggling of others as a thick, black, sizzling cloud. We could visualize this cloud hanging our coronary heart and destroying our selfishness. On the out-breath, we then visualize that we’re sending out all that’s good to others within the type of a white, cooling cloud that eases their worry and struggling.
As we proceed this visualization, we broaden our compassion from these near us, to these we’re detached to, to these we don’t like, and to all others. Pema Chödrön says this observe creates not solely compassion for others, however compassion for ourselves and a deep reference to all beings primarily based on our frequent expertise of struggling.
4. Cleaning Breath
This nine-breath observe from the Tibetan custom is designed to expel blocked or “stale” vitality (prana, chi). As a yogic observe, this will embody visualizing the expulsion of prana with every breath, however on this simplified type it may be performed by any meditator. As a result of it relaxes the physique and opens up the respiratory system, it is a wonderful method to start any meditation session.
Seated in your meditation posture, shut the left nostril along with your index finger and breathe slowly out and in by means of the best nostril 3 times. On the final exhalation, expel as a lot air as you’ll be able to. Now shut the best nostril and breath 3 times by means of the left nostril, once more ending with a forceful exhalation. Lastly, breathe 3 times by means of each nostrils, doing a compete exhalation with every out-breath. Return to regular respiratory, feeling open and relaxed.
5. The 4-7-8 Breath
Also referred to as the Weil Approach, for its advocate Dr. Andrew Weil, this straightforward yogic breath observe can be utilized to domesticate calm restfulness in any scenario, however is particularly prized as a manner that can assist you fall to sleep.
In a restful place—this can be in mattress, however doesn’t need to be—place the tip of your tongue simply behind your entrance tooth. Inhale, then set free the breath with an audible, whooshing sound. Inhale once more whereas internally counting to 4. Subsequent, maintain the breath for a depend to seven. Then, exhale once more, utilizing the identical audible breath, for a depend of eight. Repeat the cycle as you would like.
Weil notes that whereas the approach might be extremely efficient, one must be affected person and in keeping with it, as it might take as much as two months to develop as a dependable sleep assist.
