How to Develop Buddhist Breath Meditations

Buddhist breath meditation, or anapanasati, uses conscious breathing to calm the mind and attain mindfulness. Mindfulness is the awareness of present surroundings and state, including one's bodily functions, feelings and consciousness. Regular practice of Buddhist breath meditation can actually change an individual's brain. Buddhist breath meditation is effective at reducing stress, anxiety, depression and negativity. Although there are different types of Buddhist breath meditation, most beginners find that counting breaths is the easiest place to start.

Instructions

• 1

  Choose a quiet area in your home or outside where you are unlikely to be disturbed.

• 2

  Sit in an upright, comfortable position with your spine straight. In traditional Buddhist breath meditation, individuals sit on the floor in a lotus position. If this is not possible, you may sit in a chair or on the floor in a cross-legged position.

• 3

  Close your eyes and begin taking slow, deep breaths, bringing your attention to your breathing. Focus your mind on your breath in Buddhist breath meditation.

• 4

  Begin counting, starting with the number one as your breathe in and two as you breathe out. Try to banish all other thoughts, instead only concentrating on the number and your breath.

• 5

  Continue counting your breaths until you reach 10. If at any time, your mind wanders -- simply start back at the number one.

• 6

  Count backward once you reach 10 until you have returned to one. The goal is to concentrate on your breath as you count to 10 and back down to one again.

• 7

  Continue this Buddhist meditation practice until you can focus strictly on counting your breaths for 15 minutes without any intrusive thoughts. At that point, try to practice Buddhist meditation breathing without counting and simply focusing on your breath.