PDA

View Full Version : Breathing Calms the Mind and Body



Spiritualseeker
03 January 2010, 07:29 PM
http://journeytozen.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/breathing-calms-the-mind-and-body/

Breathing Calms the Mind and Body

In my research into Hinduism and Buddhism, I have found that there is a good emphases on breath. This is also true for Taoism. The breath has been used in yogic paths to direct energy throughout the body. Breathing in certain ways are used in Taoist Yoga to heal the body. In Buddhism, the Buddha expounded a beautiful teaching on awareness of breathing.

Awareness of breathing is quite simple. We should not make it a rigid practice. If you forget your breathing and then later remember your breathing, then that is fine. Do not be so hard on yourself. Simply watching the inbreath as it comes in and watching the out breath as it goes out is not so difficult. To sustain this awareness is the difficulty.
The Buddha gave us great techniques to try. The great Vietnamese Zen Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh has revealed the wonderful teaching of the Buddha in his book called “Breathe! Your Alive: Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing”. Thich Nhat Hanh translates the wonderful sutta (sutra or teaching) of the Buddha in the Anapanasati Sutra.

If you notice throughout many works of Thich Nhat Hanh you find the same simple teaching of awareness of breathing. It seems so simple, yet watching your breath throughout the day is very liberating. You begin to find your mind calm and that constant chatter calms. The body becomes very serene and peaceful. A very simple technique is “Breathing in a long breath, I know I am breathing in a long breath. Breathing out a long breath, I know I am breathing out a long breath.”

If you notice your breathing is short and shallow just be aware of that.

“Breathing in a short breath, I know I am breathing in a short breath. breathing out a short breath, I know I am breathing out a short breath.”

Another technique is awareness of calming the body with the breath. “Breathing in, I calm my whole body. Breathing out, I calm my whole body.”

These are simple techniques the Buddha gave and translated by Thich Nhat Hanh. There are actually sixteen techniques in the Anapanasati Sutta that the Buddha taught. Thich Nhat Hanh explains this well inthe above book. You will also find these sixteen techniques throughout most of Thich Nhat Hanh books. I never get bored of it because this practice actually does calm you.

Thich Nhat Hanh in a lecture stated that we breathe mindfully in order to enjoy breathing. He said we do not do mindful breathing to become a Buddha. He did say however, we could become a buddha as a by product of Mindful breathing. I believe he is simply emphasizing that we are simply enjoying the present moment. So in the present you are aware and enjoying your breath as one technique is “Breathing in, I feel happy. Breathing out, I feel happy” or “Breathing in, I feel joyful. Breathing out, I feel joyful”.

I believe Thich Nhat Hanh is teaching us not to be so rigid and militant about focusing on our breath. As Thich Nhat Hanh has mentioned elsewhere that when we meditate we should enjoy it and not see it as a chore. I so many times find mindful breathing or meditation as a chore. But when I remember Thich Nhat Hanh’s advice I realize how simply joyful it is to be mindful of the breath or just to sit with presence. If you just mindful breath for the sake of mindful breathing you will indeed enjoy it!

In the Pure Land teaching of Japan (in particular Jodo Shinshu) self powered practices are discarded. For an example as above: there are no practice of meditation in order to become enlightened. Jodo Shinshu doesn’t say you cannot meditate, but it does not use meditation or any other technique to give us enlightenment. Why? Because Jodo Shinshu Focuses on OTHER POWER or the Power of Amida Buddha, which is the Power of Infinite Light and Infinite Life our truest deepest nature and the nature of the cosmos. So when one recites Namo Amida Butsu it is not to become enlightened, because Amida gives us enlightenment quite naturally. When the calling of Amida is natural we spontaneously say Namo Amida Butsu effortlessly and without our egotistical desires (such as our desire for enlightenment or the desire to get rid of desires). So I think this is quite similar to what Thich Nhat Hanh is saying. You just breathe naturally and allow yourself to be aware of it and enjoy it. Don’t make it goal oriented. Just breathe to enjoy breathing.

Simply throughout the day, if your sitting at the computer typing, working, lying down, going to sleep, walking, cooking, driving, or any task simply be aware of your breathing. You may say: “Breathing In I know that I am Breathing in. Breathing out I know that I am breathing out.” Thich Nhat Hanh also suggest that we can shorten it to simply “In” as we breathe in and “Out” as we breathe out.

Thich Nhat Hanh says in “The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation” translated by Mobi Ho:

“Breath remains the vehicle to unite body and mind and to open the gate to wisdom. When a feeling or thought arises, your intention should not be to chase it away, even if by continuing to concentrate on the breath the feeling or thought passes naturally from the mind”

We are not even using mindfulness of breathing to chase away the thoughts or emotions. If a feeling of sadness arises you simply notice it and allow yourself to mindful breathe. You may say: “Breathing in I am aware of Sadness in me. Breathing out I am aware of Sadness in me” as Thich Nhat Hanh suggest during a talk of one of his retreats.

If Anger arises simply note it and say: “Breathing In I know that I am anger right now, Breathing out I take good care of my anger”.

You will naturally calm down both mind and body because mind and body are one. You only experience sensations in the body because of the mind. The Mind does not feel the body without the presence of the body. Emotions are also felt in the body. So mind and body are not two they are one. When you do mindful breathing throughout the day you are uniting body and mind and naturally because of this you become calm and collected.

In conclusion no matter what you are doing you can enjoy your breathing. Just simply enjoy your breathing. You will find that you are more mindful and more loving. Compassion will rise out of you quite naturally.
Gassho