Awareness of natural breathing - Meditation technique

This method can initially be used to concentrate attention on the flow of natural breathing out of the nostrils or the movement of the naval area during breathing. Once we can keep our concentration at a certain point, we begin to perceive subtler and subtler changes e.g. changes in sensations of heat, pressure, and air. The ability to concentrate our attention at a particular object (nostrils, thought forms, outer object etc), builds the foundation to perceive the nature of changing phenomenon (breathing, thoughts, emotions, body etc). We begin to see the true nature of temporary changing phenomenon, they arise and then disappear.

This technique first uses concentration on breathing and then moves to a more relaxed, equanimous, unjudgemental awareness. Using this technique we can become aware of the subtler nature of our relative aspects e.g. the changing nature of our personality, thoughts, emotions, and body.

This technique is a step to natural awareness of our absolute reality and its relative play. The technique of being aware of the natural gap in between the in and out breathe (which I will post later), is a method which takes us beyond just awareness of changing phenomenon to the unchanging reality of who we are. This method (gap in between in and out breaths) can be used after some degree of natural awareness.

I have stated the steps which can be used as a guideline to practice this technique for beginners to advanced levels. With practice we can leave out some of the steps such as counting breaths and at a certain stage just remain in unidentified awareness. I will include a list of tips and FAQs for this particular method. Start with the beginners steps and move to advanced when you feel familiar with the technique and build your attention span.


For beginners;

1. Sit straight, eyes closed.

2. Put your attention on your nostrils and feel the movement of air. Focus on an area of the nostrils where you feel most comfortable with. You may wish to put your attention on the area above the upper lip and below the nose.

3. Breathing naturally in and out, count one.

4. After each cycle of in and out breathe, continue counting 1,2,3...10

5. After 10 cycles of breathe, return back to 1. You may wish to change the number of cycles and with time remove the counting of breaths, to just observing the natural in and out breathe.

6. If your attention is diverted, then as soon as you become aware of your inattention return back to awareness of breathe.

7. You may wish to continue for a 15-20min period, once or twice a day

FAQ for beginners;•

It is important breathing is not forceful or consciously done. At first it may be hard to be aware of just the natural flow of breathing, but with time we can remain detached and aware of the natural breathing without altering it.

• You may wish to put your awareness on the whole of the inner nostril at first or the area below the nostrils and upper lip. With time you may wish to focus your attention on a specific area within the nostril.

• You may wish to count your breaths in any manner you like e.g. counting one after the in breathe, 2 after the out breathe, 3 after the next in breathe etc....

• Thoughts, emotions and sensations in the body may arise and divert your
attention. When you become aware of being lost in thoughts, return back to observing your breathing. If whilst observing, you become aware of a sensation or thought then make a mental note e.g. a thought and watch it rise and disappear, then returning to breathing.

• Practice for a time you feel comfortable with.


For intermediates;

1. Sit straight, eyes closed.

2. Become aware of the incoming and out coming breath at a small area of the nostrils or above the upper lips.

3. Notice the change in sensations (e.g. heat, air pressure, moisture)

4. Continue observing your breathing

5. If your attention is diverted, then as soon as you become aware of your inattention return back to awareness of breathe






For advanced;

1. Sit straight eyes half open, relaxed . You may also do this technique whilst performing activities in everyday life such as walking etc (with eyes fully open)

2. Be aware of breathing occurring naturally throughout your body and area around you. Feel breathing occurring through your nose, from your naval, top of your head and from the pores of your skin.

3. Observe the natural sensations occurring through the body during the in and out breathe and the energy exchange occurring between the body and environment.

4. If a thought, emotion, sensation diverts your attention. Make a mental note e.g a thought, watch it come into awareness and then disappear. Then come back to observing breathing. You may lose your attention many times, but each time you come back to detached, relaxed awareness it stops unnecessary identification and diversion of attention with thought, emotions ,objects etc.

5. Remain as you are. Natural in the moment awareness of whatever is happening in the body-mind. You don’t have to put your attention anywhere, but just be aware of what is happening at that moment. This may involve watching the web of your thoughts and emotions like a movie, without identifying with them. Remain detached and un-judgmental. Each time you find yourself following a thought, come back to un-associated awareness, by returning to awareness of breathing if necessary.

Subtle link of breathe from life to beyond death

Introduction

Here I will be posting some techniques to go from awareness of breathing to going beyond to realize the nature of oneself. In this human body, we all experience breathing as an essential part of human life. If we are aware of it or not, breathing is always occcuring. It is without distinction in term of caste, creed, religion, ethnicity, or an ideology. Therefore, it is a technique which can be used by the whole humanity without having to prescribe to a certain way of thought.

There are many meditation methods using breathing. First usually starting with conscious cathartic breathing methods,deep naval breathing, to awareness of the natural breathe, to subtler insights into the nature of oneself at all relative depths and ones absolute nature. Breathing is natural to us and therefore can be used to enter meditation at any point in our day to day life. Each one of us is unique and so we may use certain methods during certain times on our spiritual path.

I will be focusing on techniques using breathing directly at first (such as cathartic breathing, and deep naval breathing), then using breathing as a point reference to lead to subtle insights and experiences of the body-mind-soul (e.g. awareness of breathe techniques), leading to what lies beyond the body-mind-soul, the very source of life itself. Meditation methods lead us to meditation itself. The word meditation is just a signpost to discovering our universal self.

Relationships to Oneness

Relationships with others in the deepest sense is the discovery that others are non other than yourself. Relationships can be a mirror in which we can what we truly are, by seeing things as they truly are and not projecting images of what another is.



In reality there is no such thing as bad relations, bad or good relationships all appear to the dualistic mind, which projects a certain image of other according to their own expectations of that person and their own past. To go beyond a projected relationship which has no depth in it, we have to first become aware of our images we carry of the other and the image we project of ourselves to others. Realizing we are interacting as just mental images with each and other, we see we never really feel oneness with another.



The seeing of the other as a part of us, not separate no matter whether they are physically present or not is seeing true love and is what we all consciously or unconsciously long for. So how can we have relationships beyond just mentally projected images meeting one and another. First we have to explore our own mental projections, the nature of our minds.



Are our thoughts, emotions really us or are they just appearing in us due to social, genetic, and environmental influences.



Realizing we are beyond thought and emotions and we are the space in which thought and emotions appear, we automatically face ourselves from projecting our thoughts onto others. Being open in the moment with a person will give a healing space in which others may also be able to stop clinging to their own projections and expectations and instead share the moment with each other, not as an separate entity but seeing the complete unity in each other in this very moment. This very seeing is love and has a healing effect which calms and soothes all aspects of relations. Only by seeing the unifying depth of relations, can we become truly grateful in the relative aspects of relations with one and another be it close relatives, children, a stranger or nature.



Spiritual relations are relations in which the other has no mental blockages and doesn't expect or try to project his desires on the other. This type of relationship helps both persons come to a mutual and unifying space in which essence we are ONE. Spiritual relations can come from nowhere with anyone or anything and leave at anytime, but they never leave us as they touch the essence of what you are. We can now see the essence of our friend in the sky, as the birds singing, in the wind, in the warmth of the sun..his presence is eternal and always present in every situation and environment. This type of relation uplifts us and helps us spiritually progress to see what we truly are is the one that is in everything and everyone.

Now relations with others become a natural outlet for the overwhelming joy we carry inside. We can then share our happiness with anyone or anything at any spontaneous moment in time. We are no more projecting of how a relationship should be, but accepting the diverse aspects of the relationship however they are. No more demanding of love and attention from the other but acceptance and sharing of our happiness is the real divine play in this world and the highest expression of our human capabilities. I will post gazing techniques which can be done with a friend or partner and help to see the depth and being of others. This will be posted under gazing technique.

Contemplation of the changing nature of the world

You keep seeing change, Change in lifes Circumstances, Change in your body, thoughts and emotions, You know you cant fnd no permanancy and security in this everlasting environment of change.NOW SEE if the one always SEEING change EVER changes???

Wholeness

How can we as seperate individuals in our mind control the whole? Mind is just a expression of the whole, now return back to the wholeness which you already are!

Changeless Changing

Everything changes for the best, even though in the moment we are unable to grasp the significance of change. As the changeless, which we are, we can clearly see this life and the entire universe's drama in birds eye view! Whatever this bodies destiny, let it be! For a fragment of the mind cannot control the whole! Let us allow the body-mind to express itself in its natural state of joy, wisdom and love!

Unconditional,eternal,all pervasive Love

To share our love to everyone unconditionlly is the flowering of human exsistence and our own essential nature. To share our joy and love without any reserve only leads to tenfold increase in joy an love within ourselves. To be reserved on love is foolish, for we cannot lose anything by giving unconditional love, we ony lose our false expectations and beliefs of what love is.

Unity in Duality

Our thoughts are spinning, our emotions are whirling, what sees all this, is free from this, being our nature, it sees all this, come from that which it is, IS is its nature, relax as this, realize this, becomig free from the manfestations of this, play with this, you are this ,never to be touched by this or that!

Meaning of life

There is no meaning to life, all meaning is created in the mind. In the infinite number of lives we live, we live for the joy of living, to share the joy of life, is the purpose of life itself.

The untouched inner sky

Thought created from the vastness of ourselves, like a cloud appearing in the sky. The cloud can be light, the cloud can be heavy and thunderous. But the sky in which the clouds arise and subside remains untouched. So is the beauty of ourselves, from the everchanging manifestations of clouds to the unmanifested sky. I am!

Relationships Built in oneness

Being with a person you know or a complete stranger, drop all ideas and projections you have about them. Once you are aware of your projections of that person and ideas about them based on past experiences, let them go. No be with them without no idea or projection of who they are and without expectation to gather ideas about hem. Just being with them in openess and receptivity, see is there really a seperate "you" and "other"???
This can be done with any objects, a tree, flower, table, moon, whatever you like!

Meditation using music

Listening to music, become immersed to all the melodies of the music. Once the music ends, feel the silence that is present. Now once again listening to music, feel the silence that surrounds and permeates the melodies.
So in life be totally immersed while simultaneously experiencing the inner silence that permeates out thoughts, actions and the outer experience of the world!
Thus realize the silence of oneself!

The inner Witness

Truth being the ability to see, we all carry this clarity of just seeing, but we hold onto what is seen as the truth. What is seen, just a temporary object, soon disappearing, our heart again longing for truth to regain. Watching, Just watching, in the silence of our unborn nature, we see this play of life arising and disappearing, Laughing in joy only the observer remains.

Cleansing breathing technique

Being with one self, breathe in and out with your whole body. Breathing in, feel your whole body filled with life energy.Breathing out feel the silence, nothingness, the presence of oneself.
Breathing in and out with full vigor, immerse yourself in breathing. Let all thoughts, emotions, sensations submerge into your intensity of breathing.
After 10-15 min of constant conscious breathing,return to the natural rythm of breathing. Feel the energy outside of you and inside of you as the same one energy. The whole body breathing naturally, your individual energy merging with universal energy. Let the one energy pervade your body,your mind. Feeling this energy, see you are not serperate from it. Lose all boundaries, all ideas of being a seperae energy or individual.Seeing your natural breathe, see how you are energetically connected to the whole through breathe. Seeing this lose your idea of seperation. Let all negative or positive thoughts, emotions etc melt in the energy of the whole.
Steps;
1.10-15 min of constant vigourous breathing using the whole body
2.Then become aware of your natural breathe
3.see energy within the body and outside as one
4.relax with yourself letting all thoughts and emotions dissolve into this one energy of awareness.
5.Just be

Seeing life as a movie - Meditation technique

Let the attention be at a place where you are seeing some past happening and even your form, having lost its present characteristics, is transformed.
This technique helps us go beyond our unconcious identifications with our actions in the past, thoughts about them in the present and ultimately transforms us to see beyond our limited self.
Past happening of when you was a child, growing up, adulthood can be seen like a film happening in the backaground of the mind. Be a witness to the past and its identifications with emotions of joy, happiness, sadness, anger etc. within you. Let the past happening play like a film within you, releasing all past feelings and identifications with your past projected self.
Let all thoughts and emotions be witnessed without being identified with them. If you become identified with thoughts and emotions once you become aware return to just watching them like a film! Dont judge your thought or emotions, situations, people or circumstances. Just witness everything objectively, like a story. Spending time to see our past experiences and future expectations objectively we cleanse all identifications with past actions and emotions and allow the space for us to come to realize ourselves in this present moment.
See the you who has no personal story! Laugh at the drama of so called life, what a engaging, dramatized and illusory story the mind creates! Now living fully in the moment,float in the river of life!
Tips; many times in this techniique you may get caught in your personal story and lose the ability to witness your thoughts and emotions objectively. Whenever you become aware of this return to just witnessing. A good meditation technique to improve concentration and the ability to witnessing includes vipassana meditation, awareness techniques which i will be posting shortly.

Moving from Superficiality to Spirituality - the Journey back home

In the depths of the mind we always feel a lacking and a sense of belonging to something permanantely. This sense of lacking and looking for fulfilment to be whole happens to the whole human race. In terms of society, we look for fulfilment in relationships, money, power, position, security, and possessions. The spiritual seeker is also looking for fulfilment in religious dogmas, meditation, yoga and the 101 other things they believe in to become whole. However, this fulfilment, sense of permanent wholeness is never found. We always seek for the other or something to fulfil us and make us whole, even clinging to spirtual practices in belief we will be whole.

The absurdity of this situatuion is that an seperate entity, "I" as the mind and body is trying to achieve wholeness. The only way to come to a state of peace and realization is to see that the very "I" as a sepearte individual is the obstacle as you are already whole. Realizing you are the goal of your so called fulfillment and search we can finally relax and be at peace as our self.Therefore the only thing needed is to be able to see our thoughts of desires, emotions without aversion or clinging and allow them to arise and disappear in there own manner. This very seeing creates a space where we can realize our true nature.
We become aware, we are the very awareness itself, the very conciousness itself. We are like the sky which can contain clouds but is beyond clouds and is not limited or disturbed by them.As such thoughts and emotions arise in us, but we are aware of this and also infinently beyond.The Sky can be full of clouds or can be clear, but it still remains the sky. Likewise we can be full of thoughts or can be empty of thoughts, either, or,knowing the true nature of ourselves, we remain as the self,

These truths if understood with the mind can confuse us and lead us to trying to justify them using logic and creating more thoughts. In the hearts of a mature seeker they will ring a bell in their hearts of a long forgotten rememberance. For such a seeker, reading and listening about our true nature slowly opens us up to experiencing this reality. For such a seeker trust and devotion in words which indicate truth or someone who has experienced themselves can guide the way. However, the journey can only be walked by the individual as it is he himself who has to become aware of himself.

For the person who reads about our true nature and becomes confused, the desire to know oneself over other material and psychological desires has to take priority. This can happen by introspecting and contemplating if the desires you have fulfilled and are still seeking to fulfill have ever given you the lasting happiness we all conciously or unconciously are looking for. Looking at our successes, we feel it was lacking and temporary in nature. Looking at our failures, we see regret and guilt has never helped us move beyond. The spiritual seeker now searches for a higher understanding beyond the duality of life by becoming open and receptive. To be joyful beyond reason, logic, motive, circumstances is the bath in which a seeker longs to remain in. For such a seeker yoga and meditation techniques can provide us a space where we can really investigate who we are. We become more aware of our body processes, thoughts and emotions. We become aware of our inner spaciousness and ability to witness things without mentally labelling and associating it with the past.

AS our witnessing capabilities grow we can see thoughts and emotions likes waves in a ocean. Arising and disappearing spontaneously and naturally but being the witness we are never stirred. Waves of thoughts and emotions can arise and dissipate but what we are remains. Realizing what we are is which always remains, creates us to remember the presence we are in this very moment. Now we think we exsist as a seperate entity, when looked into we disappear into presence, just presence residing in everything as everything.