In the fourth stage of the four stage mindfulness of breathing meditation practice we work on developing more refinement and vividness in the way we pay attention.
This involves encouraging the mind to move to a more subtle level of perception by deliberately paying attention to very delicate sensations connected with the breathing.
By doing this we help produce a much deeper level of calmness in the mind.
Jump to a section:
- More about stage four
- Review of the practice
- Moving from stage three to stage four
- A nasal experiment (best performed while alone)
- Moving on to the next activity
- Four dimensions of mindfulness
- Keeping subtlety in the practice
- Why the emphasis on refining our attention?
- How long should I meditate each day?
- What’s next?
Paying attention to some rather subtle sensations connected with our breathing requires that we “change” gear and look at our experience at a finer level of detail. It also means that we really have to let go of unnecessary thinking so that we can become absorbed in these subtle physical sensations.
Stage Zero
Prepare for the meditation by setting up your posture, by becoming more aware of the physical sensations of the body, and by relaxing as best you can.
Stages One, Two, and Three
Follow the stages in order, first of all counting after the breath, then before the breath, and then letting go of the counting.
Stage Four
In the fourth and final stage of this practice, begin to notice the sensations where the breath first passes over the rims of the nostrils.
You may even notice the sensations where the breath passes over the upper lip. But if any of these sensations are hard to find, just notice the breath at the first place you can feel it as it enters and leaves the body.
You don’t have to make these sensations be an exclusive focus. They can be a lightly held focal point at the center of a wider field of attention that includes sensations of the breathing from all over the body. When we do this, the vivid sensations we’re now including in our awareness bring a greater sense of clarity to our experience. The sensations at the nostrils can, in a way, “tie everything together.”
It may happen, though, that you become fascinated with the sensations around the nostrils and find yourself being drawn into them more and more. And when this happens you may find that everything else drops away, and you’re in a more “one-pointed” state of awareness.
You can listen to an MP3 guided meditation that will lead you through the full four stages of the practice by clicking on the player below:
Congratulations! You’ve now learned the full four-stage practice of the Mindfulness of Breathing meditation. You could spend the rest of your life exploring this practice. Sometimes it’ll seem like, as they say, “the same-old, same-old.” But other times you’ll find shifts happening and discover new dimensions of your experience. From time to time I notice whole new layers of sensation that had obviously been there the whole time abut hadn’t noticed.
So spend some time practicing all four stages of the meditation practice, and reviewing what you already know in order to deepen your experience of them.
And explore the links on this page to deepen your understanding of what this stage is about and how to work effectively within the fourth stage.
I recommend alternating the Mindfulness of Breathing practice and the Metta Bhavana, or lovingkindness, practice. Each of these practices feeds into and deepens the other. They balance each other nicely, with the lovingkindness practice helping us to connect with our inner warmth, while the mindfulness of breathing practice is rather “cooler” in tone.
You can do these two practices on alternate days, or even do one in the morning and one in the evening, if you have enough time.
But before you head off to learn another meditation practice we’d suggest that you spent a bit of time familiarizing yourself with this stage of this meditation. Each stage is in itself a practice for developing skills in working with your mind. Really get to notice what’s going on in each of the four stages, and see if you can find ways to get more out of them. Meditating isn’t just an exercise, it’s an exploration.
Simply sticking with the practice is a form of spiritual practice in itself insofar as it encourages the development of patience and acceptance. The mind tends to have a grasping quality, and it’s this grasping, Buddhism tells us, that leads to suffering. The effort of setting aside our craving for new experiences and simply continuing to explore more deeply those practices we are already familiar with will bring us closer to spiritual awakening.
In the first stage we worked on calming the mind through focusing on the out-breath, which is intimately connected with a sense of letting go.
The second stage helps bring more energy and awareness into our relaxed mind by focusing our attention on the in-breath, which is inseparably linked to alertness.
The third stage, in which we pay attention equally to the in- and out-breaths blends these two qualities, of alertness and calmness to help us develop a calm, energetic awareness. When our mind is like this (and you may not have got there yet but it will come with practice) it is very “pliable.” In other words our mind has become a very powerful tool.
What we do with this tool in the fourth stage is to develop one-pointed awareness. This isn’t a forced concentration, but rather a natural absorption that is based on interest and even fascination.
In the third stage of this meditation practice — the Mindfulness of Breathing — you’re usually aware of quite a large area of the sensation associated with the breathing. You may have been focusing primarily on the belly, or the chest, or the sensations in the head and throat, but you may might been aware of all of that, and might even have been aware of the whole body.
In the fourth stage however we’re beginning to narrow our attention down onto a very small area of sensation — the sensations on the rims of the nostrils.
When I first learned this practice I was unsure how to move from one stage to another. I’d simply stop — sometimes abruptly — doing one stage and start — equally abruptly — doing the next. I think that’s a common approach, and I think it’s unhelpful since it brings a dollop of unmindfulness into a mindfulness practice.
Now I like to make a smooth transition from one stage to the other, in order to maintain more of a sense of continuity, and to bring more elegance into my mind.
I do this by narrowing my focus with every breath. Over a series of perhaps seven or eight breaths, I’ll start to narrow down my focus, “homing” in on the sensations on the rims of the nostrils.
In the first breath I might be focused on the whole breath, right down to the belly, on the next perhaps on the whole of the chest, throat, and head. Then just the upper chest, throat, and head. Then the throat and head. Then the head. Then just in the nostrils, and then the tips of the nostrils.
Gradually homing in in this way brings more elegance and smoothness and so helps the stages flow together better.
This might sound weird, but have you ever checked to see just how sensitive the rims of your nostrils are? Well, I didn’t expect you were going to admit it!
Try touching the inner rims of your nostrils as gently as you can (check no-one is watching first!). Use the very tip of your finger, and try to find the lightest touch that you can still feel. You should find that you’re able to feel your fingertip almost before it makes physical contact. The rims of your nostrils are covered with tiny little hairs, just a fraction of a millimeter long. Each hair has a very sensitive nerve at the root, and every time your breath passes through your nostrils, these nerves are triggered.
Of course we don’t usually notice those sensations, but it’s an excellent exercise to try to be aware of the breath passing over your nostrils. Having to pay attention to such a refined sensation encourages your mind to move onto a more subtle level of perception.
And since it’s not possible to remain aware of such a subtle sensation unless your mind is very still, the fourth stage encourages deeper levels of mental and emotional stillness.
Stage “Omega”
We’ve talked about “Stage Zero” as being the important preliminary stage where we set up good conditions for meditating by working with our posture and our inner attitudes. I’ve compared it to the stage of mixing the ingredients for a cake, as well as making sure that the oven is at the right temperature. In other words we’re making sure that the conditions are congruent with the outcomes we want to achieve.
But in baking a cake there are also some things you want to do at the end of the baking process to make sure that the cake comes out right. You want to make sure, for example, that you have oven gloves on so that you don’t burn your hands and drop the cake on the floor. You need to check that the cake is in fact properly baked and that it doesn’t need a few more minutes in the oven. You need to place the cake on a rack so that it doesn’t go soggy.
Similar considerations apply in our meditation practice. It’s possible to ruin a perfectly good meditation by hurrying out of the practice. So here are a few tips so help ensure that you are able to carry the effects of the practice into the world, rather than jarring yourself by making an abrupt transition. I call this process of ending the meditation “Stage Omega” because it’s the final stage of the meditation, but isn’t usually enumerated. (You probably know this already, but Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet and is often used to represent the last thing in a series.)
Stage Omega is important because you need to give yourself time to absorb the effects of the practice.
I used to talk about “ending the meditation practice,” or “bringing the practice to a close.” (In older recordings you’ll still hear me saying things like that.) But eventually I realized that there was something unhelpful in that language, because it suggests that first we practice, and then we stop practicing. But meditation is about nurturing into existence a certain quality of awareness (mindful, present, centered, kind, and so on). And the entire point of doing this is that it will have a beneficial effect on the rest of our lives. So it’s more helpful to think in terms of “bringing our practice into the world,” or “carrying our mindfulness and kindness into our next activity,” and so on.
One excellent way to approach this is to notice what your experience is like at the end of the period of guidance, when the last bell has rung, or however it is that you know that your chosen meditation time is over. What effect has meditating had on you? How do you feel? How does your body feel? What is your mind doing? How do those things compare to when you first sat down to meditate?
If you don’t pay attention to the effects that the meditation practice has had on your mind and emotions, then you might not realize that any changes have taken place. This can be rather dispiriting, to say the least. Often we develop much more of a sense of calmness than we are consciously aware of, and if we don’t give ourselves time to appreciate this we might immediately undo the positive states that we’ve created by smothering them with despondent or frustrated thoughts and feelings.
Taking your practice into the world
In a way, Stage Omega is not really the end of your meditation, it’s just a transition from being aware with our eyes closed, sitting on a cushion, to being aware, with our eyes open, in the midst of everyday activity. Our meditation practice will hopefully have a beneficial effect on our lives generally, and it’s more likely to do that if we make the transition from sitting meditation to everyday activity as smooth and elegant as possible.
I suggest that you go recall the guidance I offer toward the end of the recordings. Notice how I suggest that you gradually broaden your awareness. At the end of the fourth stage you’re focusing mainly on the subtle sensations at the rims of your nostrils. You can broaden your awareness from that narrow focus to become aware of the whole breathing process. Then you can become aware of the whole of your body, and then you can include other dimensions of awareness such as feeling, emotion, and your mind. And lastly, you can broaden your awareness right out into the world around you, becoming aware of your external sensations of space, sound, touch, and light.
You’re giving yourself time to reconnect with the world in which you will soon be moving around, using computers, interacting with other people, and so on. You’re doing this slowly and gradually, not abruptly.
Actually, it’s very beneficial to go further this and to maintain your mindfulness as you get off your cushion, bow to your shrine (if that’s the sort of thing you do), blow out the candles, straighten up your meditation equipment, and leave the room. And even then you should try to maintain your awareness as you go onto the next activity.
When I’m leading group meditations, I can often tell how someone has been working in their meditation by the way they get up and move around. If they make a lot of noise and the drop their cushions with a loud “whump” at the back of the meditation room then it’s a fair bet that they either haven’t been making much effort or that their effort has been pretty crude and mechanical. If their movements are elegant and they lay their cushions down carefully and quietly, then I have a good idea that they have been working internally with the same kind of grace, balance, and care.
Take your time moving onto the next activity
One very good reason for taking your time coming out of the practice and moving onto your next activity is that it’s possible to become emotionally “jarred” by rushing into the first item on your “to do” list. It’s often the case, as I’ve mentioned above, that you can develop more calmness that you at first realize.
Another quality that you can develop is a greater degree of emotional sensitivity, and if you do not respect this then the first encounter that you have (which is likely to be with someone who has not been meditating and who is in a very different mental state from you) may be very unpleasant. Somehow this is less of a problem when you take just a few minutes to allow the effects of the meditation to sink in.
I don’t know what happens in this process of assimilation, but I suspect that in some way your subconscious mind makes some subtle internal readjustments which allow you to deal more effectively with encounters with others.
If you do give yourself a few minutes at the end of your practice to assimilate your experience, and take your time elegantly making a smooth transition from the cushion to the world, then you will often have the experience of finding that you can meet others who may even be in a very antagonistic state of mind, and be able to calmly absorb the other person’s emotions without even a ripple appearing on the surface of your mind.
If your calmness is like a great lake, then an elephant can jump in and the waters simply close over it. But if your calmness is like a small pool, then when an elephant jumps in there will be such a splash that there will be no water left!
In Buddhism, there are several terms that are translated as mindfulness or are closely related to the concept of mindfulness, and each of them has a different flavor. It’s useful to get to know the different dimensions of mindfulness.
1. Sati
Sati most simply means “recollection”, both in the sense of memory (“I recollect that you said you wanted to meditate”) and in the sense of “having gathered together once more” (“I had to recollect myself after a busy day”).
Sati is the aspect of mindfulness that knows what is going on at any particular time. For example, when we’re aware of our posture, and that we’re in a certain mood, and that our mind is alert or dull, then this is sati. Sati is a state of watchfulness in which we’re paying attention to what’s going on right here and now. When we’re being mindful in this way we’re aware of the sensations of the body, of our feelings, and of our thoughts.
The opposite of sati is distraction (asati), which can involve the mind flitting from thought to thought without any internal monitoring. This is one of the most common forms of distractedness, and one that every meditator experiences. The mind goes wandering, and often it’s hard afterward to say where it’s been and what it’s been doing. Asati can also involve a fixation on one task — but a fixation that ignores our general experience. When we’re working hard on some project and find that our neck is tense, our shoulders are aching, and we’re in a bad mood, this is usually a sign that we’ve been focused in a rather driven and unmindful way on what we’ve been doing.
Usually when people talk about “being in the moment” they’re talking about sati.
Sati is knowing what is going on in our experience right now, and we need to know this in order to be able to make any meaningful changes. If you don’t know where you are, how can you get to where you want to go?
2. Sampajañña
Sampajañña is the aspect of mindfulness that extends over a period of time. It includes an awareness of purpose (where we want to go), and an awareness of where we’ve already been. So you may sit down to meditate and be aware that you need to cultivate lovingkindness. When you do that you’re developing a sense of where you want to go. This is rather different from what people think of when they think of mindfulness as “being in the moment” and “letting go of the past and future.” Sampajañña allows us to mindfully think about the future. Having decided where we want to go, we then check in with ourselves from time to time during the meditation. This is employing sati to see what’s going on. Sampajañña compares where we are with where we want to go — in this case evaluating “am I making progress in cultivating lovingkindness?”
Sampajañña also looks backwards in time. When you’re recalling your day and thinking about how things went, it’s possible to do this in a mindful way. Rather than the mind simply getting lost in thoughts about the past we’re consciously and mindfully recalling events. We can remind ourselves of our successes and analyze our lapses. Again, this is very different from what a crude understanding of “being in the moment” might suggest. With sampajañña we can bring the past — mindfully — into the moment. We can be in the moment and thinking about the past.
Often in Buddhist texts, the terms sati and sampajañña are joined together into one compound term, sati-sampajañña, and it’s this compound term that’s often translated as “mindfulness”. Sampajañña is necessary so that we can periodically compare where we are going with where we want to be. Sampajañña is like the compass that gives us our bearings.
3. Dhamma-vicaya
Dhamma-vicaya is the aspect of mindfulness that categorizes our experience in terms of some model or another. An important aspect of meditation is learning ways to categorize our distractions (the hindrances) as well as positive qualities that we can develop in meditation (the dhyana factors). Dhamma-vicaya is the act of comparing our inner experience to a mental map, so that we can navigate more effectively towards our goal.
The simplest kind of map you can have is something like a division of your emotional states into “positive” (those states that are constructive and helpful, like love, empathy, confidence) and “negative” (those that tend to be destructive, like hatred, addictive craving, cynicism).
This can be developed, however, into a much more sophisticated way to work with our mental states. There are, for example, traditional lists of “hindrances” that we can experience in meditation. These are distracted mental states that cause us suffering: states that include restlessness and anxiety, laziness and sleepiness, doubt, sensual craving, and ill will. Dhammavicaya can be a form of diagnosis, allowing us to evaluate more precisely what’s going on. There are also of course lists of positive mental states that arise in meditation, like the dhyana factors of initial thought, sustained thought, rapture, joy, and one-pointed concentration. Again Dhammavicaya can be indispensable in evaluating our current state.
Perhaps the simplest form of dhamma-vicaya is the insight meditation technique of “noting,” in which we internally “name” to ourselves the most prominent aspect of our experience. We might say “in, out” as we observe the breathing, or we might saying “throbbing” as we observe an area of pain.
To fully develop our dhamma-vicaya into an effective tool we need to have an effective inner map, which involves learning from study and from experience the different mental states that can arise, and also learnng to recognize these in our experience. If you don’t know what the five hindrances are or can’t recognize them when they arise, then you won’t be able to use them as a diagnostic tool, for example.
4. Appamada
Appamada is mindfulness in the sense of watchfulness or vigilance. It’s mindfulness imbued with a sense of the importance of the task in hand. Some texts say that if you lose your mindfulness you should grab it up again like a soldier in the heat of battle who has dropped his sword. Another interesting analogy is that we should act as swiftly as someone who has discovered that his or her hat is on fire. Appamada is the dynamic aspect of mindfulness.
All of these aspects of mindfulness work together synergistically. To some extent we may have to develop them separately, but in order to develop one fully we have to develop the others.
It’s not always easy to separate out these different kinds of mindfulness, and that’s not really the point of my letting you know about them. If you’re aware of yourself and of your thoughts, emotions, and sensations, and at the same time you’re automatically aware of whether you’re in a hindrance or whether positive factors are present, and if you’re vigilantly coming back to awareness every time your experience wanders, then probably sati, sampajañña, dhamma-vicaya, and appamada are all present. There’s not much to be gained by trying to work out where one dimension of mindfulness ends and another starts. But if one of these is lacking then it’s important to be able to recognize that. If you’re aware of where you are but don’t have a sense of purpose, then it’s probably worthwhile cultivating sampajañña. If your mindfulness is bit vague then perhaps you need to start noting exactly what’s going on by naming it — am I in a hindrance and if so which one? Am I lacking some positive factor in my experience, and if so which one do I need to cultivate? If the mind is tending to go adrift a lot, then perhaps we need the vigilance of appamada.
Knowing about these four different dimensions of mindfulness can help make our practice much more effective. Sometimes when people have a crude understanding of what “being in the moment” means they assume that you must never have goals in meditation, not realizing that it’s the way you relate to your goals that’s important. And lacking the ability to name our mental states means that we can’t work with them effectively. Developing skill in meditation, and in inner work generally, requires a familiarity with of all of the dimensions of mindfulness.
Because the sensations at the rims of the nostrils are so subtle, there can be a tendency in meditation to breathe more forcefully in order to heighten the sensations. Try to resist this tendency, and instead allow your breath to be very light and delicate. Ideally you shouldn’t be able to hear your breathing.
(Sometimes you’ll find that you think you’re hearing the breath, but that it’s actually a purely internal sound – one that only exists in your mind. This is fine, and you shouldn’t try to get rid of that kind of sound. Instead you should be aware of it as well as the physical sensations of your breathing).
Instead of breathing more heavily, try to find the subtle sensations by allowing your mind itself to become more receptive and subtle – this is the point of this fourth stage of the practice. Making your breath coarser by snorting (yes, it can get that bad!) can make it easier to feel the breath, but rather undermines the development of a more refined perception of the breath. If you don’t manage at first to find the sensations on the rims of the nostrils, then you can be aware of the breath in your nostrils; cool on the in breath and warm on the out breath.
And sometimes people find it easier to notice the sensation on the upper lip, and that’s OK as well. Over time, try to refine your awareness so that you become aware of the most delicate sensations that you can detect – these are the true focus of this stage.
If you can find the sensations of the air flowing over the rims of your nostrils, then congratulations; now it’s time for you to refine the practice even more. For example, you can notice whether the sensations are more pronounced in the left or right nostril, and you can try to take more awareness into any “dead spots” where the sensations are lacking. Or you can become more aware of the sensations just at the fronts of the rims of your nostrils, rather than all around; just to stretch your ability to detect very subtle sensations indeed.
There are always greater degrees of refinement to which we can take our mindfulness.
Mindful attention enriches life, while distraction dilutes life.
Have you ever had the experience of talking with a friend while you’re distracted, and then you realize you haven’t been listening to them because you’ve drifted off on some train of thought? I’m sure you have, because we all have.
How can we develop deep and meaningful relationships with others if we can’t stay focused? How can we deepen our understanding of ourselves if we don’t experience anything but our surface distraction?
Mindful attention allows us to go more deeply into our experiences. It allows us to experience more intensely, so that we are with other people more intensely, with ourselves more intensely.
Mindful attention allows us to really enjoy what we’re doing: whether it’s being in the country, or reading a book, writing, or talking, or thinking.
Mindful attention allows us to think more clearly and deeply. When we can stay with a train of thought without wandering off, we can ask more penetrating questions of ourselves and, crucially, be able to hear the deep, considered, and wise answers that come from our depths.
Refining our mindful attention allows us to pick up on subtler sensations and perceptions. For example, if you’ve trained yourself to be aware of subtler sensations in the body. One study I read showed that regular meditators had more awareness of their bodies than professional dancers did. Isn’t that interesting? Dancers use their bodies every day, while meditators are just sitting still. Being more aware of the body helps you to be more aware of your feelings. This in turn helps you to be more aware of intuitions and hunches, which present themselves as feelings in the body.
Being able to see the richness in ordinary experiences makes ordinary activities more fulfilling. Instead of drinking a cup of coffee while also thinking about a dozen other things, we can simply drink the cup of coffee, appreciating the flavor, the odor, the warmth of the mug in our hands, the movements of the body as we lift the drink to our mouths, the contact the mug makes with our lips, the warmth of the liquid as it enters our mouths, the act of swallowing, and so on. This kind of presence is deeply satisfying and nourishing, while distractedness? Not so much!
I often get asked variants on the question, “How long should I spend meditating each day, and is there any benefit to meditation if you can’t manage forty minutes?”
Some people notice distinct psychological benefits in the forms of reduced stress and greater happiness with only ten minutes of meditation daily, although most people seem to require around twenty minutes to experience benefits.
When I was taught to meditate the meditations in the class were usually 40 or 50 minutes long. I picked up the idea that anything shorter than that wasn’t a “real” meditation and didn’t really count. That was a most unfortunate idea to pick up, because there were many days I couldn’t do that amount of meditation and so I ended up not sitting — even though I did have time to do 15 or 20 minutes.
One well-known study trained people in meditation for eight weeks. The participants, who were new to meditation, ended up meditating for an average of 23 minutes a day. At the end of eight weeks their brain activity had measurably changed, and they showed much higher activation of parts of the brain that are associated with feelings of well-being and less activation of parts of the brain associated with stress. And they were found to have an improved immune response as well. That’s after just 23 minutes a day, on average.
Through my own experience I’ve found that any amount of meditation is better than none. One those days where, for whatever reason, I’ve only been able to meditate for five or ten minutes, I’ve found that my mental states can change perceptibly over that period of time, and that the benefits persist throughout the day.
So my advice is, just do it. If you can only manage twenty minutes a day, do twenty minutes. If you can only manage ten, do that. If three minutes is all you have, then spending three minutes is much, much better than not doing anything.
And just do it every day, and have a minimum commitment for yourself of something like five minutes a day..
The amount of time you’ll have will vary. You might meditate on a regular basis for 20 or 40 minutes, but then have one of those days where you just don’t get a chance to sit until last thing at night, when you’re so tired you think you’re going to fall off your cushion. So sit for at least five minutes. You’ll maintain a sense of being committed to your practice no matter what, and you’ll feel better about yourself. And even five minutes makes a difference.
What about a maximum? Obviously for most people time available for meditation is a limiting factor. On retreat we might meditate for five, or six, or ten hours a day. That’s hardly feasible for most of us in our daily lives, but it’s worth experimenting with doing more practice and seeing what effect it has. I find that if I meditate for more than 90 minutes over the course of a day, there’s an extra “kick” from the practice, and a deep sense of joy comes into my life. I don’t expect that this length of time will apply for everyone, but I expect that there are “tipping points” past which meditation has extra benefits, and that that’s true for most people, even if the magic number isn’t always the same.
Meditation is a training, not an experience. It isn’t something that you do once and see lasting benefits from. It’s something you do regularly in order to bring about the development of positive new habits. Regular practice changes the brain in very helpful ways, slowing aging, thickening the cortex, and bulking up the brain areas that are responsible for feelings of well-being and emotional regulation
I’ve also suggested that it’s a good idea to alternate the Mindfulness of Breathing meditation with the Metta Bhavana (or development of lovingkindness) practice. The two practices complement each other beautifully.
The four stages you’ve learned — (1) Counting after the out-breath, (2) Counting before the in-breath, (3) Dropping the counting and following the sensations of the breathing as a continuous, unbroken process, and (4) Focusing on the sensations at the rims of the nostrils — can be regarded as tools. As with any tools, they have to be used intelligently. At first, as an exercise in learning to develop familiarity with the tools, I’d suggest that you stick to doing all four of the stages in order, giving equal time to each stage. You might want to keep this up for several months of practice, or maybe longer.
Thereafter, you can play around with applying these tools as you need them. The first stage (counting after the out-breath) helps calm the mind. So if your mind is already calm, or if you’re sleepy, then you might want to skip this stage. The second stage stimulates alertness, so if your mind is already over-stimulated you might want to skip that stage, and stick with the first stage in order to slow your mind down.
If you find that your mind settles quickly and that you’re already alert and mindful, you might want to skip both of the first two stages, forgetting about the counting and going straight into the third, or even four stage. If you find, during one of the later stages, that you’re all over the place, then you might want to go back to one of the earlier stages.
I’ve been meditating for 40 years, and I still use the counting on certain days when my mind is unruly, although these days I’m more likely to start with the third stage of the practice, or even the fourth. But the tools are there, and I’m happy to use them as seems appropriate. We call this making the practice your own.
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You can also learn more about this meditation practice in my book, Wildmind: A Step-by-Step Guide to Meditation.
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112 Comments. Leave new
I have just done my first meditation and it felt strange I also seem to now be buzzing with energy. does this mean its working?
I find that I have started to be more sensitive to my feelings and emotions in the few hours after doing this meditation, especially when I do it just before going to work. I have now been doing the mindfulness of breathing meditation for nearly 4 weeks, pretty much every day and I am noticing lots of changes within and around me.
Harryd: sorry this reply is so late — I was in Ethiopia when you posted and hadn’t noticed that you’d asked this question.
Meditation certain does give us more energy, and there’s even a technical term for this, which is priti or piti, depending on which language you’re using. Sometimes this is experienced as tingling or just a general sense of energy. Sometimes it’s experienced as bliss.
So it’s not only normal to experience this, it’s a good sign that something is happening in the practice.
Watch out for any craving you may have to repeat this kind of experience. That kind of desire for results is the opposite of the letting go that allows priti to arise.
Also it’s best just to accept priti when it arises and not to get too excited about it! Priti needs to be balanced with calmness and mindfulness.
All the best with your practice!
hi,i gt a question.When i first time meditated,i feel very calmed right after the meditation.After practicing a few more days,when i finished meditating,i dont feel as calmed as the first time i meditate.Is this normal?
Wei Hao: There can be a lot of variability in what you experience in meditation. This can be because the results change (you are actually less calm) or because you are calmer than you realize. But the fact that there is this variability is not important.
What is important is that the effort you put in to our meditation practice will have an effect on your life, whatever you feel during or immediately after your meditation.
I’ve known people (many people) who have reported that they notice no changes from their meditation practice — except that everyone else says they’re more relaxed and easier to get on with. So sometimes everyone else notices the changes apart from the person who’s changing!
Anyway, the moral of the story is just to keep practicing. Changes are taking place even if you’re not aware of them at present.
Greetings,
Ever since I read this book entitled “The Dharma of Star Wars.” which explains some of the basic concepts of Buddhism. I have tinkered with mindful breathing excercises. In many ways i find that they help a great deal in dealing with the stress of my job. The question I have for you though is how should i go about meditating in a highly distracting environment such as my ship. I find the obvious answer is to find as quiet a place as possible which is quite a challenge. I guess what i’m asking is, is there a technique to help me filter out the external distractions when i begin my meditation exercises?
Hi Stephen,
It’s always good to hear from members of the armed forces.
I’d suggest moving in the other direction and instead of seeing external noises as distractions to be filtered out see them as simply part of your experience that you’re paying attention to.
As you go into your meditation, setting up your meditation posture and relaxing the body, become aware of the sense of space, light, and sound surrounding you. Look for a sense of 360 degree awareness (look for the peripheral awareness exercise on the page that the link points to). As best you can simply accept the presence of all the sounds you hear. Treat them all just as sensations to be observed.
You can then start to notice the breath as being the sensation that is at the center of a field of awareness — as the focal point to which you return when your mind wanders.
There’s no need to see sounds and the breath as being in competition with each other — you can easily pay attention to both.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
I have meditated for many years on my own. By observing my breath I can become entirely focused. However, once my thoughts are set aside and all that exists is my breathing, I begin to have dreamlike experiences. They are not worrisome or disturbing – just meaningless. In most cases, as I come back to some other level of consciousness, I do not remember what experiences were – just that they did not make sense. I do not fall asleep. I stay upright and have awareness. Can you explain for me what is happening? Is this going to lead me to greater awareness or is it taking me somewhere else?
Hi Robert,
Those dreamlike experiences sound very much like a simple distracted state, especially given that you can’t recall what they were about and also because you describe them as meaningless. Because they’re distractions the best thing to do is to identify them as quickly as possible and simply return to the breath.
Without knowing more about the content of the dreamlike states and about how you feel towards the content it’s not possible to say exactly which kind of distraction you’re experiencing (there are five basic types) but my guess would be either that you’re engaged in some kind of mild sense-desire or that there’s a slight degree of sleepiness present and some dream imagery is bubbling up. Given that you say that the thinking doesn’t make sense I’d further guess that it’s the latter of these two that you’re experiencing.
I can’t go into detail about how to deal with this (especially since my guess may be off the mark!) but when this happens I’d suggest paying more attention to the in-breath, lifting your chin a little, and paying more attention to the breath in the upper chest, throat, and head.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
Hi, I just recently started this whole meditation thing. Is it okay that I tend to fall asleep right after, I think it has to do with the fact that I tend to lose all stress after doing this meditation.
Hi Fletcher,
So you fall asleep *right after* meditating? That’s interesting, and I don’t think it’s a problem (unless you have to go to work or something — presumably you’re meditating in the evening?).
The interesting thing is that presumably you’re falling asleep because you’re tired, and yet you’re not falling asleep during meditation, which is what commonly happens.
Often people don’t realize how tired they are until they stop “doing stuff” and start relaxing in meditation; in fact often they don’t realize how tired they are until they fall asleep.
Anyway, it’s a really good sign that you’re staying awake during meditation. As you suggest, it’s a sign that you’re relaxing and letting go of tensions.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
I was reading a book on meditation at one time. In it there was a girl who connected to the earth-became a part of the
planet during meditation. She could become a tree(because of the oneness), and rain etc,. I would like to know if this is a
form of buddhist meditation or something else. And if it is, could you please describe what she is doing to get into the state
she is? Thank you so much, I greatly appriciate it!
Hi Katy,
I don’t know that story, but it’s a nice metaphor. It sounds like a story that might be used to illustrate the six element practice, which you can find elsewhere on this site.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
thanking you very much for helping me to be freed from my self
thanx to guide me, really thankful to u…………….
Hi. Sometimes I feel numbness at my chest or nose during the breathing. I count 4 while inhale and count 8 while exhale. What is the reason and what should i do? Appreciate your great articles and reply. Sukhi hontu.
Hi Jen,
Thanks for the kind comment. You know, I’ve never done that kind of breathing, where you count for different lengths of time for the inhalation and exhalation. (Now that I think about it I did do pranayama in a yoga class once, but I have to say that it brought about an unpleasant feeling of tension). What you’re doing very different from the kind of meditation I do, where we generally try to let the breath be natural and unforced. So I don’t know anything about the kinds of things that would happen when trying that kind of exercise. All I could suggest is that you try letting the breath flow naturally and see what happens. My own belief is that the breath is best left under unconscious control as much as possible.
These four dimensions seem important, but the differences look very subtle and the concepts, abstract. Could you suggest a reading material (or link) to expand on this?
Hi Raysel,
I’ve expanded the material, and hopefully this will make the distinctions clearer. Please let me know if there are any specific areas of unclarity. Unfortunately I don’t know of any sites that deal with this kind of material in a practical way.
Thank you for the expanded explanation. I see the differences clearly now.
Fine stuff, Bodhipaksa! You’re a talented writer indeed. I’m going to check out your other work now, perhaps revive those spiritual embers, who knows? Hope all’s good with you.
Ah, it’s good to hear from you, Steve! Thanks for the compliment — very meaningful coming from a talented man such as your self. Things re going well here, apart from my wee girl having a fever and keeping me from my sleep. But that’ll pass and she’s still a delight even when she’s under the weather.
I’m enjoying your CD of Breathing Meditations which, along with Swami Saradananda’s book, I’ve added to the yoga classes
I teach . My husband and I are planning on moving to New Hampshire, Conway. Do you teach at a center, and if so
where?
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
I do some teaching at Aryaloka, but it’s been rather sporadic since I became a father. Child number two will be arriving in the spring, but I hope to continue doing at least some teaching. Aryaloka’s in Newmarket, which is quite a distance from Conway, I’m afraid.
Stupid Question:
Are your eyes supposed to be closed during breathing meditation? I have been doing the breathing meditation with my eyes open. Is it better with the eyes closed?
Hi David,
There are no stupid questions. Wait. There are stupid questions, but yours isn’t one of them. In our posture workshop I write something about the eyes. I hope it answers your question.
What a lovely site, what clear and useful advice.
i tried my first meditation. i got to a point where i started feeling sleepy. does this mean i did it wrong?
Hi Ruth,
Actually, I think it just means that you were feeling sleepy. Perhaps you were already tired and you became more aware of that. Or maybe your posture was a little slumped and that prevented you breathing properly. What you have just now is one data point, and if you find repeatedly that you’re tired then you’ll have an opportunity to look into why that is and what you can do about it. No matter how much you meditate, though, there will always be times that you feel sleepy (or restless, or irritated). Just this morning in my meditation I was nodding off. It happens, and it’s no big deal.
Hope this helps,
Bodhipaksa
Thanks so much for the wonderful tutorial video. I am new to meditation and I have a couple of questions:
1. Is it ok to ‘picture’ an image while I am focusing on my breathing, like a crescent moon, or a peaceful lake or a tree?
2. I find it so hard to not say to something to myself while focusing on my breathing , like ‘rising, falling’, or ‘in breath, out breath’. Is this OK?
thanks so much,
Kerrie
Hi Kerrie,
Both of those things are fine. I often suggest to people that they visualize in the mindfulness of breathing, although generally only when they need to help cultivate a particular state of mind — for example developing calmness by visualizing a still lake or cultivating a sense of playfulness by visualizing that they are on a swing that is moving in time with the breath.
It’s also traditional to mark the in and out breaths with words — either numbers or something like in/out or the examples you gave. At some point, when the mind settles down, it’s beneficial to let go of the words, though, and to let the concentration grow stronger. Once that happens the meditation can move onto a much deeper level and can be much more pleasurable.
How do we know exactly when we have accomplished our meditation and to end the process?
What most people do is to decide in advance how long they’re going to meditate for. The advantage of this is that we’re less likely to “crap out” of meditation when we feel restless or when the going gets tough. Usually in meditation there’s no sense of having accomplished some specific end. We’re just working with whatever arises. Even if we find ourselves, halfway through our allotted time, in a state of focus and bliss, we just keep on working with that and see what happens. I guess it’s a bit like working out at the gym — you decide in advance how long you’re going to exercise for and then you do the exercises. The “accomplishment” is getting to the end of the workout. I guess that connected with this is making sure we allow some time for reflecting on how the meditation has gone, so that we can appreciate the effort we’ve put in and perhaps learn something that will benefit us in the future.
Hi
I would like to ask a question regarding the way one should
observe the breath. I have been mediating for quite a while, and during the
practice, I observe the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves my nosetrils.
As I know it, during this, one should not think about anything, and should not think about the breath.
Therefore, I just hold my attention on the sensation of the breath in my nose and do nothing.
However, I have read that one should also notice the many subtle changes (how the breath becomes shorter/longer,
the pause between the in and out breath,…). The problem is that, in order to be aware of these changes
and small details, I have to start thinking about them. This is not good, since one should not think about anything.
In addition, if I am not allowed to think, I am unable to notice any other sensations occuring
(feelings, like calmness,…). I may be vaguely aware of them, but I can not comprehend them fully, because I do not think about them.
I think that the correct way of doing is to observe the breath without thinking about anything. It is not
necessary to try to notice the above mentioned sensations and details, if it means that you have to start
thinking about them.
Can someone tell me if I am right in this?
Thanks
Hi Galadriel,
There’s a difference between noticing a physical perception and thinking about a physical perception. Thinking about the perception would involve having a stream of commentary moving through your mind. Noticing a perception is just that — being aware of something that’s happening in the body.
Thanks Bodhipaksa for the reply.
I am still not sure in something. If I am only passively observing the sensation of the breath as it enters and
leaves my nose, I find it difficult to comprehend the changes occuring in the breath.
For instance, if I want to notice how the breath becomes shorter/longer, I need to concentrate( pay extra attention)
on the duration of the breath. I am unable to notice such subtle things with the mere passive observance
of the breath as it enters and leaves my nose. This is a simple, relaxing mental activity, with which I am
unable to comprhened subtle details. The only way to comprehend them is to concentrate on them specifically.
However, if I do so, it is no longer a mere passive observance of the breath.
What do you suggest?
1,Should I continue passively observing the sensation of the breath
as it enters and leaves my nose, and do not care if I am unable to properly comprehend the more
subtle details/changes concerning the breath? I believe this is the right way of doing it, because, in mediattion,
one focuses on the object (breath, an image, mantra) only gently and with relaxed attention.
2, Or should I try to concentrate( pay extra attention) on the details/changes concerning the breath?
This would require a great deal of concentration (and maybe a little bit of thinking as well), which, I believe, is too
much for meditation.
Hi Galadriel,
It’s not a question, in this case, of there being a “proper” way to meditate. It depends on what approach to meditation you’re taking, what you want to achieve, and how your meditation is going. There’s certainly nothing wrong with passively observing the breath without noticing the specific details. Doing that would bring about greater calm and relaxation, although without some active engagement your mindfulness is going to be limited and you’d probably end up sinking into a state of dreamy unclarity.
If you’ve already calmed the mind, it’s actually very beneficial to pay active attention to the specific qualities of the breath. This requires noticing and exploring your experience. Once again, this does not require “thinking about” your experience. It does take concentration, but then that’s the whole point! Meditation isn’t, ultimately, meant just to be relaxing. It’s meant to develop a range of faculties, including concentration, that are necessary for a radical restructuring of our experience.
“It’s not a question, in this case, of there being a “proper” way to meditate.
It depends on what approach to meditation you’re taking,
what you want to achieve, and how your meditation is going.”
My aim is to reach a reasonably deep meditative state or trance state/”alpha state”. I believe, a good tecnique to get into tintostate is when into this state is when you focus/concentrate on the object of meditation (breath, mantra,…)
only gently. In fact, I have read that too much concentration or focusing too hard can hinder you in geting into
such a meditative state.
Let us look at mantra meditation. One way of doing it, is to silently repeat the mantra in the mind, while focusing
on it only gently. You can even let the repetition of the mantra develop into a “semi-automatic” process. In addition,
too much concentration can hinder you from getting into such meditative state or “alpha state”. Rather, you shoul let
the mantra “lead” you into the trance state, while holding your concentration on it only gently.
I thought that these same principles can be applied, if the object of your attention is not a mantra
but something else ( the breath in this case). That is why, until now, I have done the exercise in this way:
focusing/concentrating on the breath only gently.
If my aim is to reach a certain meditative state called trance or alpha state,…, what meditation
technique should I use? Is it good if I do the exercise in the above mentioned way: focusing on the breath as
it enters and leaves my nose, while concentrating only gently? (This amount of concentration means that I
might be unable to notice some of the more subtle sensations/details concerning the breath.)
Sorry for such long questions, but it can be quite disturbing during meditation, if you have doubts about
how to do the exercise properly.
I’m afraid I don’t know what a “trance” state or “alpha state” are. These aren’t terms found in Buddhist meditation, which is what I practice and teach.
But generally , focusing too hard will not be helpful for your meditation. There are exceptions, such as times one is very tired or very distracted, but our effort should ideally be light and natural. There should be enough effort that the mind is not simply daydreaming, but not so much that it causes tension and “tunnel vision.”
I’m confused, though, by your insistence that light concentration means that you can’t notice the more subtle sensations of the breath. That’s certainly not my experience.
Let me explain.
During the exercise, I gently hold my attention on the sensation, which is felt as the air passes through the nosetrils.
I do this for 40-45mins (including stage 1,2,3,4). After the practice, if one askes me to tell what sensations/changes
I experienced concerning the breath, I will be able tell him or her the general features only (that the there was an
inbreath and an outbreath, there was a little pause between them, that I became a bit calmer or sleepy
sometime around the middle or that I drifted off into my thoughts several times).
However, I will not be able relate such details like the lenghtening of the breath (unless
it lenghtened significantly) or wheter a bit more air were passing throught the left or right nosetrill.
What I am trying to say is that if I passively observe something without thinking about that thing, I will only notice
the more general features or those which are pronounced. The others I will either miss or forget by the time
my practice ends.
Nonethles, If you say that “light” concentration is the proper way of doing the exercise, then I will continue
what I have been doing until now. My aim is to get into a meditative state This is what I mean:
when your brain wawes are changing from beta to alpha/delta, you feel calmer,
you might experience some energetic sensations, other sensations like floating or slight heavyness,
your phisical body feels to expand a bit, mild vibrations and so on.
I think that it is possible to reach this state with gently focusing on the breath,
even if I might miss some of the less detectable features of the breathing process.
Once more, Thank you for answering.
Hi
Do you know something regarding the effect of regular meditation on the brain?
I have always thought that certain kinds of meditation (breath awareness, mantra,…)
have a positive effect on such mental abilities, like concentration, logical thinking and memory.
However, recently I have decided to do some research on the net. The result was:
– majority of the articles I have read stated that regular meditation improves mental abilities like concentration,
logical thinking and memory.
– However, few articles maintained that, in some cases, regular meditation can be harmfull. Mainly emotional
negative effects were mentioned (like emotional imbalance, inactiveness,…). However, some articles mentioned
“lack of concentration” as well.
This confused me a bit.
Is regular meditation beneficical or harmful for mental abilities? (I am only interested in
cognitive abilities like concentration, logical thinking,memory…)
I have read elsewhere that meditation is harmfull only if you do it too much.
I am meditating 40-45mins a day. Do you know wheter this amount of meditation can
be harmfull or not?
I know that this is not realy a practicall question, but thanks for answering.
Hi Nasdor,
I’ve had a lot of experience teaching meditation over the years, and before that of being taught and seeing others being taught. I’ve seen very few people who have reacted badly to meditating. I’ve known a couple of people with low blood pressure issues who have experienced dizziness. I’ve heard of a couple of people with schizophrenic tendencies who have experienced heightened delusions. I’ve known a few people who are prone to panic attacks who would go into a tail-spin.
Apart from that, the effects have been vastly beneficial. I should say that some ups and downs are an essential part of the process. For example, when I was learning the development of lovingkindness practice I’d sometimes take a mental nosedive, because I’d look for some element of self-metta, not find it, and go off on trail of rumination in which I talked myself into a worse and worse state of mind. Or sometimes we remember a person doing something that annoyed us and we spent the whole meditation being angry with them. All those things, and more, can happen. It’s not the meditation that is doing this to us, but the fact that we’re not distracted by external events means that we’re more focused on what’s going on inside, and the mind’s tendency to negativity can get out of hand. All this is ultimately self-correcting, though. Mostly, such “binges” of negativity are harmless, and because they’re ultimately a source of pain we eventually learn to let go of them.
As for meditating too much, I don’t think that’s the problem at all. I’ve sometimes meditated 8 to 10 hours a day, and the effects are frnkly wonderful! What you’re doing is a very normal amount of meditation.
Hi
I would like to ask a question about the mindfullness of breath meditation.
In stage 4, I observe the sensations caused by the breath as it enters and leaves the nose.
However, these sensations are so subtle that sometimes I loose track of them.
Is it all right if I sometimes hardly feel these sensations or don’t feel anything at all?
In addition, I find it too dificult to locate where exactly the breath enters, so instead àjust
“approximate” this spot or simply focus my attention the area around my nosetrils and observe the sensations
( of the breath) there.
Is it all right if I do the exercise this way?
Is it all right if I sometimes hardly feel these sensations or don’t feel anything at all (the latter is very rare)?
Thank you for answering.
Hi Galadriel,
Sorry for the delay. I’ve had family visiting and I’ve also been doing some traveling.
It’s fine for you to do the practice as you have been doing it. Rather than sit with an awareness of no sensations, it’s best to find the closest sensations to the rims of the nostrils.
It’s because these sensations are so subtle that we’re trying to pay attention to them. In order to experience them fully we have to let go of everything else and surrender ourselves to the sensations of the breath.
Hi
Thank-you very much for this interesting site and your CD.
I have a question on changes in breath. I have been meditating for a while now [20 minutes, twice a day] and am starting to go into deeper states during the last few minutes.
I watch my breath with eyes open and focus on my Tan Jon area. Towards the end when I have really let go, I find my breath is quite [but not excesively] fast. It’s not a shallow breath but there is no real pause between the breaths to take any notice of despite me reading about ‘pauses’. The speed of the breathing in the deeper state when I have truly let go is sometimes faster than after 10 minutes?
I try not to worry about it and accept it but wonder if this is a normal aspect of deeper states?
Thank-you
Stupid Question Bodhipaksa:
How long is the mindfulness of breathing exercise require. I try to mediatate fifteen minutes during the day and then the same at night. Would i be able (assuming i got to the fourth stage) to do the four stages in that time frame?
Hi David,
You can certainly do all four stages of the practice in a 15 or 16 minute period. If you time the stages you can do four minutes for each one. On the other hand it’s good not to feel regimented and to recognize that each stage has a purpose. So sometimes you might want to spend a lot of time on the first stage, while other times you might skip stages or spend very little time on them and go straight to the third or fourth stage. It’s a question of being sensitive you yourself, knowing what you need, and being aware of the effects the practice is having on you. Of course it can take time to get the hang of all that, so timing the stages is not a bad approach at first.
Hi, Dylan.
Sorry about the long delay in replying.
It sounds like you’re getting a bit hung up on what’s happening (or should be happening), and I think you’re right not to worry about it and just to accept things as they are.
The important thing is what’s happening mentally. Is your mind becoming calmer? Are you experiencing greater contentment? Are you able to maintain the focus of your awareness on the object of concentration for longer periods of time? Notice whether those things are happening, and just let the breath do its thing.
After developing one-pointed concentration what should you do to enter the first jhana. I’ve read somewhere that after maintaining a stable one-pointed concentration for a while you should notice a pleasant physical sensation somewhere in your body and if you switch your attention to it, it will start to grow and “absorb” you in the first jhana. Is that right?
Hi, Boru.
First jhana arises (in my experience) when there’s a balance of calmness (reduced thinking), contentment (physical relaxation combined with emotional ease), and concentration (which is not necessarily “one-pointed” concentration, but is more a sense of continuity of attention). What you need to do to get into jhana depends on where any imbalance lies in these three factors. Usually I start my practice by cultivating calmness, then focusing on contentment (and paying attention to a pleasant sensation or positive emotion will work), and finally concentration pretty much takes care of itself, although we need to balance effort and relaxation. But it’s a question of seeing where you are at any given time in terms of any balance or imbalance in the three factors of calmness, contentment, and concentration, and doing what is necessary to bring all three into being at the same time. The method you describe works if there’s a continuity of awareness (i.e. concentration) and calmness, but insufficient contentment. But the starting point may be different. For example we can be full of pleasant experiences but lacking calmness and concentration because they mind is excited.
This “three C’s” formulation is my own, by the way, rather than traditional, although it’s intended as a restating of the traditional jhana factors.
Thank you Bodhipaksa ! You and your site have been of much help.
You’re welcome. It’s my hope that Wildmind is of help.
I have found your site very useful and encouraging. For the first time i have been able to make meditation a meaningful part of my daily routine. thanks
Dear Bodhipaksa,
First of all, thank you for your wonderful site and guided meditations.
I’ve been enjoying stages 1-3 of the mindfulness of breathing meditation for 6 months now, however, I am unfortunately struggling with stage 4 and I wondered if you could help. My lack of progress arises from a confusion over what “noticing” means, specifically how much energy is required to “notice” ones breath sensations. Please could you elaborate a little on how I can best gauge the effort required to unite my mind with these, I find, elusive sensations?
Very many thanks.
Best regards,
Ollie
Well, that’s a very interesting question. To notice those sensations is to turn our attention to them so that we’re selectively picking them out from the thousands of other sensations that are simultaneously arising. But how do we notice anything? How do we selectively pay attention to any given sensation? How do you become aware, right now, for example, of the sensations on the sole of your left foot, or of the touch of your shirt on your back? I can’t really tell you how to do those things. Assuming you can do this, how much effort does it take? Probably not much effort at all. You simply want to pay attention to the sole of your left foot, and the sensations appear at the focal point of your awareness.
It’s a bit harder to pay attention to the sensations of the breath touching the rims of the nostrils because the touch is quite delicate, and it’s harder to pick them out from the surrounding “noise” — from other physical sensations, thoughts, etc. But that’s the point. We have to reduce our inner chatter in order to be able to notice those sensations. And even once we’ve contacted them, we can work on becoming more sensitive toward those sensations, to the point where everything else falls away, and the distance between “us” and our experience of the nostrils closes to nothing, and we are those sensations.
You might want to spend some time delicately touching the rims of the nostrils with a fingertip in order to see how sensitive they are (you can do both at the same time). It can almost feel like you’re (literally) pointing out to your mind where the sensations are, and after a minute or so you can remove the fingers and you’ll find that the skin is now remarkably sensitive and it’s easier to keep your attention there. This isn’t something I’d suggest for every meditation, but as a training exercise to help “cue” the mind to notice that part of the body.
Hi Bodhipaksa,
Thank you very much for your above response. I have tried your suggestions over the last few weeks, but I’m still struggling to make progress with stage 4 unfortunately – I find the sensations at the nostril tips so hard to find or get any real grip on. Would you suggest, in this instance, I instead turn my attention to the rise and fall of the abdomen? The breath sensation here is much less subtle, even clumsy, but at least I can find it!
I would really appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks,
Ollie
Hi, Ollie.
The point of the fourth stage is to refine our perceptions, so it would be better to look for something more refined than the rise and fall of the belly. Perhaps the insides of the nostrils?
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
what does it mean when u see smoke wave in meditation
It’s something we call a samapati. It’s a sign that you’re becoming concentrated but that you haven’t yet got used to the concentration. It’s something to just note and to let go of. It’s not terribly significant. If you experience images that are stable (not moving), clear and vivid, then those are different, and get back to me.
Does the still space between the inbreath and outbreath represent anything?
Does focusing on these pauses – assuming the mind is reasonably stilled – bring any form of insight?
Thanks.
Hi, Robert.
I wouldn’t say that those still spaces represent anything. Paying attention to them does help to still the mind, and this is what we call shamatha, or calming. Shamatha provides the basis for insight, but it’s not enough in itself. We need to use the still focused mind in order to appreciate the impermanent, unsatisfactory, and unowned nature of our experience in order for insight to arise.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
Hello Bodhipaksa,
I’m a mother of two small children and am 7 months pregnant. On some days, I find it impossible to set aside 30 minutes for meditation because I am so exhausted. If I only have 5 or 10 minutes to meditate, how do you recommend that I use those few minutes? Condense the 4 stages of the mindfulness of breathing down to approx. 1 minute each, or just focus on one stage (which one?). Or, would you recommend something else? Thanks so much for your time and thoughts.
Jill
Hi JIll.
I know the feeling. Well, about exhaustion and having two small children, not about the being pregnant part.
I’d suggest taking just one stage, but choosing the one that seems most appropriate. If you feel tired, do stage two. If you feel stressed, do stage one. If you’re stressed and tired, still do stage one. If you’re feeling half-way human (I’m an incurable optimist), try doing stage three and maybe a touch of stage four. But at least half the time do lovingkindness meditation instead, again choosing the stage that seems most appropriate.