Close your eyes and slightly lift your gaze as if you were looking at a mountain-top far away. Try to feel that this eye position is helping to center your concentration in the front part of your brain, at the point between the eyebrows.
Sitting with a tall spine inhale deeply through the nose and tense your whole body until it vibrates, then throw the breath out through the mouth and relax. Repeat this three times. Each time, try to relax more deeply while keeping your posture erect.
Then give yourself one final chance to tweak your position and make up your mind to keep the body still while you relax into your practice.
Start by gently deepening the breath and scanning the body for un-needed tension. Feel the spine tall and the back of your neck long. Use your exhalation to remove stress and tension from your body. Feel your muscles relaxing more each time your breath out.
Now begin measured three-part breathing: Count mentally to time your breaths. Inhale, hold, and exhale making each of the three parts the same count. Don’t hold the breath after exhaling, just begin the next inhalation. Adjust the timing until you have the longest count you can do comfortably without strain. Do this for 6 rounds. You should be moving toward a more relaxed state.
Now stop the counting, and release all control of the breathing. Watch the breath, without controlling it. “Watch” in this context means to feel. This is important. What you feel will change over time. Do your best to keep the mind focused on exactly what you feel related to the breath.
Keeping your mind on the feeling of the breath and also keeping your focus at the point between the eyebrows, and allowing your body to take each breath when and how it feels to (through the nose) is your technique.
You can use this simple technique for just a few minutes or you can do it for hours. It’s going to take some practice and time for your mind and body to acclimate to this. Be patient with yourself.
Next: The Art of Meditation
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