Meditating on Breath and Body Sensations
Meditating on Breath and Body Sensations
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This page is under development. Please bear with me.
This meditation practice aims to help an aspiring person like you meditate every day without taking time away from your daily activities.
It introduces several modes of focusing on breath and body sensations. Its focus is on practicing and experiencing, not on abstract thinking.
I use this page as an aid when teaching individuals and groups in-person and online. They are encouraged to use it to practice on their own.
The suggestions on this page are not rigid rules. They are suggestions based on personal experience and responses from people of different ages and cultures. You are free to experiment and modify them to get the best results.
You can continue your current meditation practices, if any, while testing these new practices.
I suggest reading the introductory handout (PDF) to get a bird's-eye view of this meditation approach.
I invite you to share your feedback. My contact page.
Please read the following in the order presented before you practice.
Why Meditate - Reports by Practitioners
Why Meditate - Reports by Practitioners
Practitioners of this simple meditation on breath and body sensations have reported a wide range of benefits like relief from anxiety, sleep problems, anger, compulsive thoughts, and addictions, improved concentration, relationships, confidence, and willpower.
Some have also described help with challenges such as phobias, grief, migraines, public speaking, and weight management. Visit the following pages for a glimpse at them. I stopped collecting and posting testimonials.
Mind, Body, and Relationship Benefits.
These are reported personal experiences, not medical claims. Please consult your doctor when you are inclined to change your prescribed medicines or dosages.
Introduction
Listen to the Introduction in my voice <4 minutes
Young people to seniors have said just listening to my voice was calming.
Your breath and body sensations are your lifelong companions. You can focus on them anytime, anywhere: while sitting, standing, walking, working, or doing daily chores without taking time off. This simple and easy meditation calms the mind, relaxes the body, and improves relationships. It trains the mind to be more aware of what is happening now and helps you manage your thoughts better.
'Focusing on breath and body sensations' presented here is a simple and easy meditation practice for training the mind to focus on what is happening NOW, rather than what happened in the past or may happen in the future. We have no control over what all happened in the past, and life tomorrow is not guaranteed. We can control only what we say or do now.
Even children can understand and practice this simple meditation.
You started breathing the moment you were born and will continue breathing until your last breath. This invisible 'breathing buddy' is with you 24/7, every day.
Likewise, you always have some bodily sensations like stiffness, pain, itchiness, numbness, coldness, warmth.
You can focus on your breathing and bodily sensations in many ways.
Try the following options with your eyes closed till you get used to them.
You can focus on your breathing and body sensations sitting, standing, walking, doing chores, and working at your desk.
It calms the mind, relaxes the body, and improves relationships.
Try each of the following practices for a few minutes, and compare how you feel before and after the practice. I found that using a timer eliminates impatience and enhances the experience.
The following are not rules. They are suggestions based on insights I gained from my 25 years of practicing meditation and teaching over 2000 people, from 4-year-old children to people in their nineties from many cultures and religions.
I get a lot of Distracting Thoughts!
No worries. Don't think your meditation failed when you get a distracting thought. We all get random thoughts all the time because we never trained our minds to maintain focus.
When you realize that you are paying attention to a distracting thought, promptly refocus on a breath or bodily sensation, as explained on this page.
Far fewer thoughts
Even in your initial trials, you will get far fewer thoughts than you would without meditation.
You will feel calm after the meditation despite distracting thoughts.
Options for 'Meditating on Breath and Body Sensations'
Options for 'Meditating on Breath and Body Sensations'
The following are proven options.
Feeling the sensations in the Nose and Body - (Feeling mode)
Counting Breaths in the Mind - (Counting mode)
Counting Breaths on Finger Tips - (Tip mode)
Counting Breaths on Finger Segments - (Segment mode)
Focusing the eyes - (Staring mode)
Long exhales for quick relief - (911 mode)
Slow breathing at six breaths per minute to maximize heart rate variability (HRV) - (Resonance breathing)
And more options
Let us learn and briefly practice each option.
Check how you feel before and after practicing each option.
Feeling the Nose and Body Sensations — 'FEELING MODE'
In this mode, you focus on the inhalations and exhalations happening in your body and the related bodily sensations. Let us do this in small steps.
Practice the following steps, eyes closed.
Feeling the coolness in the nose
Feeling the belly movement, 'placing a hand'
Feeling the belly movement, 'without placing a hand'
Combination - 'feeling the coolness in the nose' and 'belly movement without placing a hand'.
Upgrades to focus on more bodily sensations: sitting erect on a chair, positioning the hands and fingers, keeping the tongue in touch with the roof of the mouth.
Feeling the coolness in the nose
Feel the naturally present slightly cool sensation in your nose during each inhalation and the relatively warm or neutral sensation during the exhalation. Most people feel the coolness. If you don't feel the slight coolness, try following:
Take a deep breath through your nose and blow it out through pursed lips as if blowing through an imaginary straw held between your lips. Repeat about 10 times. You will probably feel the coolness.
Practice:
Open the Timer, click the 'Edit' button, set the time to 2 minutes, select the 'Timer end alarm' sound, and start it. Make sure you see the numbers changing. If you need help with the timer app, visit this help page.
Close your eyes.
Feel the coolness in your nose during each inhale till you hear the timer end alarm.
Belly movement, placing a hand
Wrap your left or right forearm around your belly with fingertips on one side of your trunk and elbow on the other.
Focus on the slight rising of your belly during the inhales and falling during exhales.
Caution: Check whether your belly expands or contracts during inhalation. If it expands, it's fine. If your belly contracts and your chest expands during inhalation, you have an important correction to make. Read this note generated by ChatGPT on the importance of belly/abdominal breathing and the importance of sitting in an erect posture for healthy breathing.
Practice:
Open the Timer, set it to 3 minutes, and start it. Make sure the time starts to change.
Close your eyes.
Wrap a forearm around your belly, with fingertips on one side and elbow on the other.
Feel the rising and falling of the belly till the timer rings.
Belly movement without placing a hand
Focus on the ever-changing belly movements and sensations without placing a hand.
Practice:
Open the Timer, set it to 5 minutes, and start it. Make sure the time starts to change.
Close your eyes.
Feel the movements and sensations in your belly as it rises and falls till the timer rings.
Combination (coolness in the nose and belly movement)
Feel the coolness in the nose for three breaths
Feel the sensations of the rising and falling belly for three breaths
Repeat the same pattern.
Practice:
Open the Timer, set it to 8 minutes, and start it. Make sure the time starts to change.
Close your eyes.
Practice the combination till the timer rings.
Upgrades focusing on more body sensations
Sitting erect on a chair
Adjust the seat height so that your hips are 1 to 2 inches higher than your knees. If necessary, place a cushion on the chair.
Move forward and sit at the front edge of the chair. Let your feet rest flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Adjust their placement to keep your back comfortably erect and stable.
Keep your head up without drooping forward or to the side.
Adjust these positions to sit comfortably for up to an hour.
The importance of sitting erect for healthy breathing is explained on this page.
Hand and finger positions
Adopt one of these options to set the hands and fingers:
Place your hands on your legs, palms up. Let the tip of the thumb be in light contact with the tip of the index finger. Stretch the other three fingers out and touching each other.
OR
Rest your hands on your legs and lace the fingers of both hands, the palms facing each other and the tips of the thumbs touching.
OR
Hug yourself: Wrap your left arm around your chest, tucking your left palm inside your right armpit. Hold your left upper arm with your right palm. You will see that your shoulders drop.
Keep your tongue in contact with the roof of your mouth
Keep your tongue in contact with the roof of your mouth. Let it be in this position during meditation and even other times. The tension in your jaw muscles will be automatically released.
Let your lips be in light contact (not pressing or curved into your mouth)
How about an invisible smile?
Focusing on the Breath and Body sensations
Focus on the sensation at each part of the body in the following sequence.
At each part, watch three breaths, then move to the next part.
Coolness in the nose during inhalation - 3 breaths
Tongue in touch with the roof of the mouth - 3 breaths
Belly expansion during inhalation - 3 breaths
Belly contraction during exhalation - 3 breaths
Sensations in your left and right forearms resting on the respective legs, and thumb and index fingers touching sensation and the stretch sensation in the other three fingers - 3 breaths
or
Sensations in the laced fingers - 3 breaths
or
Hugging sensations - 3 breaths
Pressure of your left and right butt and thigh on the chair - 3 breaths
Pressure of the soles of your feet in your shoes or the floor -3 breaths
Add more body sensations you can think of.
Practice:
Open the Timer, set it to 12 minutes, and start it. Make sure the time starts changing.
Close your eyes.
Practice with all the upgrades.
If a stray thought enters your mind, immediately focus on the breath or body sensation. Develop this habit of focusing on the present rather than the past or future, a lifelong gift!
Read the article "Thoughts are like — Many ways of managing stressful thoughts."
At the end of practice, get in 'touch' with your body
Using your left hand, gently massage all parts of your body that your hand can reach, from the top of your head to your fingers and toes.
Repeat the same with your right hand.
Rub your palms till they warm up and cup them over your eyes.
Close your eyes. Using both hands, gently wipe your eyes outward with the backs of your fingers.
You can use some of the ideas listed on this page.
Two goals to aim for
"Total time practiced" = 20 minutes per day, every day.
Starting: Add the minutes practiced in 'Feeling mode' using one or more of the above while carrying out your usual daily activities. The goal is 20 minutes every day.
Final: Practice for 20 minutes in one sitting session every day.
"Feeling the Breath or Body sensations" - 40 or more times per day, every day
Focus on the coolness in your nose during inhalation, or any bodily sensation, while going about your daily activities. Focusing on even one breath or one body sensation counts.
You can develop this new habit by tagging the breath or a body sensation to repetitive activities like the following.
Three game-changing daily practices lying in bed - "Lying in bed - every day"
Bedtime (lying in bed): The moment you decide to sleep, practice non-stop till you fall asleep.
When sleep is disturbed, till you fall asleep: "Non-Stop practice till you fall asleep"
The moment you wake up in the morning: Practice non-stop till you leave the bed. Even seconds of practice at each of the above times matter.
Practicing all the above every day changes life in a short time.
Every time you walk at home or outside
Upon sitting or leaving a seat/chair/sofa
Waiting anywhere: at stoplights, stop signs, in a line, or the microwave
Listening to someone speaking
Watching TV
Picking up or putting down your phone
Every time you touch the mouse while working on the computer
Doing chores like cooking, cleaning, laundry, gardening
While in the shower
Brushing teeth, shaving, dressing up
Every time you notice a traffic sign while driving
Every time you notice a mailbox while driving or walking
Every time you touch a faucet
Add your ideas.........
The goal for all such practices is 40 or more.
What can you gain by achieving the two goals?
Most practitioners reported that breath sensation comes to mind automatically when they need to focus or calm themselves. And a variety of mind, body, and relationship benefits.
Change in your face
Before you practice this meditation, take a close-up picture of just your face, from the top of your head to the bottom of your chin. Practice as suggested and make it a part of your daily routine, happening automatically. Once a month, take a new picture. You will see a gradual change in your face, towards a pleasant smiling face in 4 to 6 months. I have seen such a change in many teens and adults over 25 years. Check out this page for the reports and the four faces of teen practitioners.
Track your daily practice until you reach your two goals
"What is not defined cannot be measured. What is not measured cannot be improved. What is not improved always deteriorates."
Developing this meditation into a practice that starts from the moment you wake up in bed till you the moment you lie down and go to sleep is a challenge for anyone. The following is an aid to make this dream a reality.
Open the Google Sheet "Meditation practice - Log sheet". Click 'File' and click 'Make a copy'. Save the copied file into your drive and rename it. Enter the daily data on your practice
Page 1: Total time of practice on a date in all modes
Page 2: Total number of times focused on one or more breaths while engaged in routine daily activities on a date.
Email me if you have any questions.
How many months can I take to achieve the two goals?
It's up to you! You are the only person licensed to sit in the driver's seat of your life with the steering wheel in your hands and a foot on the gas pedal or brake.
People like me are like the GPS, who suggest a proven route to help you achieve your goals based on their experience. You can also create your own goals and explore the routes to them.
Some inspiring quotes
"Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. I don't aim at perfection. I try to be progressively less stupid (progressively smarter)."
Every morning, we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.
I added 2 and 2 and got 4, but I want 5. Can I get 5 by repeatedly adding 2 and 2? Never. I have to either replace one of the '2''s with a '3' (2+3=5) or bring in a new number "1" (2+2+1=5) to get my desired number 5. In generic terms, "Stupidity is repeating the same actions while expecting a different result."
Counting Breaths in Mind — 'COUNTING MODE'
In this mode, we count the natural breaths as they happen.
We feel the coolness during the inhales.
During the exhales, we repeat a number slowly, in the mind, like a mantra.
We count only three numbers 1,2 and 3. After counting 3, we restart counting from 1.
Step 1: During the first natural inhale, feel the cool sensation in the nose.
During the exhale, slowly repeat the number 'One' till the exhale ends and the inhale starts. It may go like — 'One', 'One', 'One' ... so on.
Step 2: During the next inhale, feel the cool sensation. During the exhale, slowly repeat the word 'Two' throughout: 'Two', 'Two', 'Two', ...so on.
Step 3: During the next inhale, feel the cool sensation. During the exhale, slowly repeat the word 'Three' throughout: 'Three', 'Three', 'Three', ...so on.
Repeat the above three steps as long as you like.
Tips
There is no minimum or maximum time for practice. You decide how long you want to practice and set the timer accordingly.
It is important that you let breathing happen naturally. Don't make any effort to change it. Let the breaths be slow or fast, deep or shallow. Let them change on their own.
During practice sessions, speak out the numbers. At other times, count silently in your mind. You can count using your lips without making a sound.
You will feel calm within two minutes of practice, sitting in a chair.
Practice:
Open the Timer and set it for 12 or more minutes. Press start and make sure the time starts changing.
Close your eyes.
Practice the counting mode
Counting Breaths On Finger Tips — 'TIP MODE'
Start with any hand, say the left hand. Touch the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger.
Count three breaths as explained before.
Repeat counting three breaths at the ring finger, middle finger, and index finger.
At the thumb, place the tip of the index finger at the base of the thumb and count three breaths.
Then switch to the right hand and repeat the above steps.
Practice switching hands as long as you like.
In this mode, you will watch 3 breaths at each fingertip, i.e., 15 breaths on each hand.
Practice:
Open the Timer. Set it to 12 minutes.
Close your eyes.
Practice the Tip mode.
Counting Breaths on Finger Segments — 'SEGMENT MODE'
Start with any one hand, say the left hand. Look at your fingers. Every finger has two cross lines dividing it into three segments.
Place the tip of the thumb at the top segment of the little finger and count three natural breaths as explained before.
Move the thumb down to the middle segment of the same finger and watch three breaths.
Move down to the bottom segment and watch three breaths. Release the little finger.
Repeat the same steps on the next three fingers - the ring finger, middle finger, and index finger.
When you get to the thumb, place the tip of the index finger on its segments and repeat the steps.
Then, switch to the right hand and repeat the steps. Practice switching hands as long as you like.
In this mode, you will watch 3+3+3 breaths at each finger.
Practice:
Open the Timer, Set it for 12 minutes.
Close your eyes.
Practice the Segment mode
Focusing the Eyes — 'STARING MODE'
Keep staring at a small mark on the wall or part of an object, at eye level or lower, that is easy to focus on.
At the same time, practice any of the above modes.
Focusing the eyes focuses the mind and reduces stress.
Practice
Open the Timer. Set it for 1 minute.
Practice the Staring mode.
Long Exhales For Quick Relief — '911 MODE'
This is not natural breathing. We regulate the inhales and exhales.
We practice for a limited time of 1 to 3 minutes.
You can practice this mode with your eyes closed wherever practical. At other times, you can practice with eyes open.
Breathe in deeply through your nose or mouth, counting slowly: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4.
Partly close your lips as if you are holding a straw between them.
Blow through the partly closed lips, counting slowly: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6.
Repeat about 10 times or more until you feel some relief from the acute mental or physical stress.
Use the fingers of both your hands to count the breaths. Fold one finger and blow once. Release that finger. Fold the next finger and blow again, and so on till you feel a lot of relief.
Then, practice your favorite counting or feeling mode as long as needed until the acute stress becomes manageable.
If the stress is still overwhelming, repeat the 911 mode.
Continue the alternating practice of 911 and other modes as many times as needed.
Practice
Open the Timer.
Practice the 911 mode for 1 or more minutes.
More Options
Over many years, some practitioners, including me, experimented with other modes and found them helpful. Click here for the other options.
Counting Breaths Meditation BROCHURE PDF
Click this link
Resonance breathing (aka 'Coherence breathing')
In this mode, we regulate the breathing to make a deep impact on the body and mind. Click this link.
History of 'Counting breaths meditation'
Focusing on breathing and focusing on body sensations is an ancient practice taught by the Buddha 2500 years ago. I made two adaptations of the ancient technique to help a broader population.
One is using the fingers like prayer beads. Keeping the count on the fingers leashes the mind better than only counting breaths in the mind.
The second is to practice lying in bed at night and immediately upon waking up.
These adaptations make the practice ‘excuse-free’.
The bedtime practice improves sleep from day one. Whoever tries it, gets better sleep and gets hooked on it. They can't help practicing at bedtime.
These adaptations made it accessible to people of all ages, cultures, and religions.
The breathing practices presented here are not related to Yogic breathing practices. Yogic breathing requires us to conform to guidelines. We have to learn from a trained teacher to avoid potential harm from wrong practice.
In contrast, counting breaths as suggested here doesn't prescribe a pattern for breathing. One exception is the 911 mode.
We watch the breaths like watching the waves in the ocean, sitting on the beach. We don't try to change the breaths.
This meditation is safe, whatever way you do it.
Even children can learn in a short time. They love it and benefit from it.
Questions? Contact me.
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