Breathing

[Rokazulu]

Is there any techniques to getting a slower breath rate during meditation?

 

It seems like my breath is rather short. I can breath in for 5 secs, then I have to exhale for about 5 secs and immediately breath back in or I get winded.

 

Also, I try to breath in at the stomach area but it can't hold all that much air.

Edited July 2, 2012 by Rokazulu

[ChiDragon]

You might have a breathing problem. First you have to establish a baseline in your breathing. It can be done by taken a breath as deep as you can but do not force yourself to go farther down then you can. Now, every time when you breathe stop at the baseline for few days, weeks, or months.

 

The goal is try to breath slowly to pass the baseline in a time frame. Eventually, your breath may seem to be reached down to the abdomen. Then you were considered to be successfully doing your abdominal breathing or the two main meridians had been connected or cleared the meridian channels which know as the Macro-orbit(internal alchemy).

[Wayfarer]

Just breathe as you are doing buddy. Meditation is not about slowing the breath, that comes as a consequence of meditation and a regular light breath is cool. Forget the breath because if you don't your meditation becomes a doing and it should be a being. Its purpose is in your slowing down and doing nothing you begin to notice what is present within. You can't do that if you are worrying about your breath.

 

Sit, relax, forget the breath, forget you are meditating - then what is present will blossom as a consequence.

 

Good luck,

 

Heath

[Harmonious Emptiness]

I'd suggest putting your right hand on lower abdomen, left on chest, and allow natural breath as Wayfarer said. While doing this, use vipissana/open attention to the feeling of the breath in the body, especially the sides and back. Eventually you can put your hands down when your breath is no longer in the chest

[ChiDragon]

I'd suggest putting your right hand on lower abdomen, left on chest, and allow natural breath as Wayfarer said. While doing this, use vipissana/open attention to the feeling of the breath in the body, especially the sides and back. Eventually you can put your hands down when your breath is no longer in the chest

 

It seems like my breath is rather short. I can breath in for 5 secs, then I have to exhale for about 5 secs and immediately breath back in or I get winded.

 

Also, I try to breath in at the stomach area but it can't hold all that much air.

 

Don't you all understand that has a breathing problem by his description....???

What he was saying is that he cannot sink his Chi(breath) to the dan tian. In order to do that, he cannot jump the gun as you two had suggested. His problem must be corrected by being able to do abdominal breathing. That was the crux for practicing Chi Kung in the first place.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Don't you all understand that has a breathing problem by his description....???

What he was saying is that he cannot sink his Chi(breath) to the dan tian. In order to do that, he cannot jump the gun as you two had suggested. His problem must be corrected by being able to do abdominal breathing. That was the crux for practicing Chi Kung in the first place.

 

That's why I suggested putting his hands like this, though should have mentioned that the purpose is to know that the breath is in the lower abdomen which moves up and down while the chest remains relaxed yet still.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Harmonious Emptiness

[mYTHmAKER]

Just breathe as you are doing buddy. Meditation is not about slowing the breath, that comes as a consequence of meditation and a regular light breath is cool. Forget the breath because if you don't your meditation becomes a doing and it should be a being. Its purpose is in your slowing down and doing nothing you begin to notice what is present within. You can't do that if you are worrying about your breath.

 

Sit, relax, forget the breath, forget you are meditating - then what is present will blossom as a consequence.

 

Good luck,

 

Heath

 

Right on

I would like to add that you can gently put some attention on your belly and your breath will automatically

go there. Don't force it and relax and slip into meditation

[thelerner]

Slower breathing tends to quiet the mind and body. There are some Apple IOS apps (Insight Timer is great) programs that help with lengthening breath. But any kind of metronome will also work well. You don't need to start with a long breath cycle, but as you're meditating its nice to slowly expand it by a few seconds.

 

For training I'd suggest finding a metronome sound online, set it to 60 beats a second. Start out with what comfortable. Keep in breath and out the same timing. When its comfortable add a second or two to the inbreath and out. Stay there til its comfortable, then expand it another second or two. Keep it pleasant and easy for a few sessions then starting slowly, take it a little out of your comfort zone.

 

By learning a long breath sequence, when you 'just' meditate and let go of control your breath will get natural but be long, giving a quieter mind and body. Breathe and breathing patterns are a huge course of study and go very deep.

 

In Ki-aikido we were taught a long one minute cycle. It took years to master , but it was an awesome way to quiet mind and body. Because I haven't practiced it regularly I've lost the ability to do it, but still manage to 'cruise' at a 40 second breath cycle.

 

Again, slow and steady practice wins the race.

[Rokazulu]

Thanks for the tips. It's still very hard for me to get into the meditative state because I'm too focused on forcing my breath in and out, but I'm trying, and uh not trying. I'm doing something that seems like progress!

[johndoe2012]

Joeblast has written a number of posts on improving your breathing. It might be helpful.

 

From reading your energy you also have some emotional and psychological issues that could hinder your progress in breath work.

 

My meditation does not rely on the breath for progress as anapana does but since I am still breathing it triggers what you would call "life issues" - so I am working on my breathing to iron out those issues using the Yuen Method.

 

Scott Sonnon just released a breathing program, maybe you can use it

 

http://resiliencebreathing.com/

 

EDIT: there's a app for iPhone / Android called breathe2relax which you can use to lengthen your breath.

Edited July 22, 2012 by chris d

[Wayfarer]

Thanks for the tips. It's still very hard for me to get into the meditative state because I'm too focused on forcing my breath in and out, but I'm trying, and uh not trying. I'm doing something that seems like progress!

 

Just a thought fwiw and I'm not trying to pick you up on what you say, just hoping to prevent you from falling into a trap: The idea of making progress...this is when we can invite the inner-expert into our meditation practice where a thought arrives such as "well, you're not breathing as deeply as yesterday" or "at this rate you will never be able to do it" and "this is it, we've got it!" etc. These thoughts arise because we are doing or trying to do something. If we think about our breath going in and out or how our experience relates to our aspiration we are not meditating as we are not in the present moment. We are doing.

 

For instance, if I want go and lie on the grass to watch the clouds drifting by how can the inner expert, the conscious mind intervene? Sure, maybe thoughts arise as my mind begins to relax but how do I aspire to watch clouds better in a year's time or how can I benchmark my progress? I can't. I can only be. So, to be better at cloud watching do I need to mess around with the breath? Do I need to force it somewhere, is this not a doing?

 

Buddhism and Taoism are practices of softness and openness. When we have expectations we don't give ourselves the chance to respond naturally to how we are in the moment, so we close ourselves, we begin the practice with a kind of statement of intent but what is that lead by if not the ego? In not-doing, in doing nothing we can BE. There is nothing for you to do - this is your birthright. You have known how to breathe all your life but now you don't know how to relax. In doing nothing, all comes of its own accord. Your body will become gentle and unfolding like a flower that blossoms as the fragrance of what is sacred begins to be remembered. The Dantien does not exist, it is a metaphor, the cauldron whose base is closed beneath our navel (by how we sit) and whose brim lies around the solar plexus - here is where the sacred presence is revealed to us. When we relax, we settle. When we settle, the 'water' in the cauldron becomes still, when this happens it clears and the sacred is unveiled. All of these are metaphors to help explain what happens during first noticing the true-self. So we hear about the cauldron, the Dantien and we focus our attention there, we take our breath down there all to realise what is already present, but what is Present reveals itself to you - this is not something 'you' do. All you need is to do nothing. The breath will take care of itself, the body will remember in its own way, the mind will become calm without effort, then slowly, gradually our truth unfolds until we Notice. It is our DOING that masks this Truth.

 

Heath

Edited July 25, 2012 by Wayfarer