Step-by-Step Breathing Meditation Instructions

Posted in Spiritual Guidance |  Email This Post | by James Rick

In my talks with people I’m always surprised to hear how little is still known about meditation. Many people have heard about it but few really understand how to do it. Today someone asked me to give them instructions over email. After offering detailed instructions I decided it would go a long way to share that same email with you. I may have made a similar post months ago, however a reminder of important exercises like this one can only serve to reinforce your behavior. And for new readers it’s a breath of fresh air, quite literally.

—————————————————

I’m glad you’ve taken a personal interest in meditation, it will unlock many inner doors for you.

Let’s start with a breathing meditation, the instructions are simple but the exercise takes effort in the form of intention.

1) Sit down somewhere comfortable. (You could just sit on the edge of the bed, arms to your side, feet flat on the floor)
2) Say to yourself: I’m going to forget about yesterday, I’m going to forget tomorrow. Time is an illusion. The only thing that matters is what I’m doing right here, right now. (You can say this in your own words, but the point is to bring your focus into the moment.)
3) Breathe in slow and deep, and breathe out slow and deep say the words relax to yourself. . Take a few more deep breaths and let yourself relax. (Remember In meditation you want to relax the body but keep the mind awake. The body can go to sleep but you want to remain alert & aware. In the beginning you might fall asleep, especially if you’re laying down, this is okay. But over time you want to stay awake to finish the exercise)
4) Now start counting to 10. On the first In breath say the number 1 to yourself and say, I’m right here right now. On the out breath say the number 1 to yourself and say, I’m right here right now. Do the same thing with breath #2 (saying the number 2 on the In breath followed by I am right here right now and 2 on the Out breath followed by I am right here, right now) and so on up to #10.
5) Your goal is to get to the #10 WITHOUT thinking of anything else. If you forget to bring your focus back to the breathing exercise after more than a few moments, you must start back at the #1.
6) Each time you bring the mind back on track, you strengthen your will power and clarity of intention. This has tremendously rewarding side effects in every day life. (I will explain how you can use this new found power in another exercise)

In summary:

What’s great about this exercise is that you can measure your progress. In the beginning you may not get to the #10. In my experience most people struggle to get to breath #3 or 4 without getting distracted by a random thought. It helps to imagine energy entering the body through the feet and exiting out the crown of the head. (Imagining something seems to make concentration easier)

This exercise helps you to become greatly aware of the power of intention over the mind’s natural tendency to entertain random thoughts and memories. After having to start back over to the #1 several times you will begin to grow frustrated and determined to control your focus. With this increased desire and extra effort you should be able achieve 10 breaths without thinking of anything else. After achieving such a feat you will find yourself delightfully refreshed and clear headed. Both from the extra oxygen and the after effects of intense concentration. You can bring yourself back to this state of mind throughout the day by being aware of your breath and doing even just a few of the breath counts (while in traffic, waiting in line, or taking a walk) You’ll be amazed at how much energy you build up during this exercise (Your body stores energy in chakras or energy centers and awareness of breath and imagining energy flowing through your body strengthens and channels this energy.) I know this might seem a little hocus pocus to you now - but give it a shot over a few days or weeks you’ll notice a difference.

Okay! This should get you off to a great start. Re-read the steps but remember the instructions are very simple, I just gave you some extra detail so you would fully understand it. Don’t worry about memorizing the steps, just get a feel for what you’re trying to do here and go for it. Over time when you feel like getting to the #10 is not as much of a challenge, I have some other more advanced techniques that will take you further along in your meditation. Good luck!

Namaste,
James Rick

Leave a Reply