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During Anapanasati I visualize the air going in and out of my nostrils.
buddhistok
Veteran
Though my eyes are closed, while meditating I focus on the air going in and out of my nostrils. I can't seem to help but visualize the air going in and out of my nostrils while I'm doing it, MOST OF THE TIME. Sometimes I am able to focus purely on the feeling without visualizing the air, but it's only for a second or 2 at most. Is there anything wrong with this?
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you can change your object of focus, its not a big deal. just stick with the sensation, note the image, and eventually the image will go away.
Bhante Gunaratana's meditation manual Mindfulness in Plain English is a good manual(the best imo) and a proven method. If you're serious about taking up Anapanasati you should read it.
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html
"What you are looking for is the physical, tactile sensation of the air that passes in and out of the nostrils. This is usually just inside the tip of the nose. But the exact spot varies from one person to another, depending on the shape of the nose. To find your own point, take a quick deep breath and notice the point just inside the nose or on the upper lip where you have the most distinct sensation of passing air. Now exhale and notice the sensation at the same point. It is from this point that you will follow the whole passage of breath. Once you have located your own breath point with clarity, don't deviate from that spot. Use this single point in order to keep your attention fixed. Without having selected such a point, you will find yourself moving in and out of the nose, going up and down the windpipe, eternally chasing after the breath which you can never catch because it keeps changing, moving and flowing."
I tried for this out for 15 minutes of meditation. First I tried not visualizing anything, that didn't work, at all. I was continuously seeing my nose with the air going in and out. Next I tried visualizing the words "COLD" and "HOT" with each in and out breath, only to realize that I was still seeing those words in my mind's eye. Finally I tried the method you quoted from "Mindfulness in Plain English" and i was visualizing the area in my nose described as the "breath point": two points, similar to dots, becoming cold and hot repeatedly. I can't seem to stop seeing things while I meditate. I always see something in my mind's eye.
Maybe I should give some additional information: I have schizophrenia. However, I am taking medications and very rarely have visual hallucinations.
@jeffrey I could be wrong but it seems to be pretty well established that people with a major mental illness should not be doing intensive meditation without guidance.
Walking meditation is quite good for mental illness because it bridges the mind and body. I recommend walking meditation.
@jeffrey and @ajnast4r why do you both believe that walking meditation is so important? I ask because I've learned from many sources that Anapanasati is the first step.
If you sit to meditate with the intention to stop your thoughts you will be thinking about your thoughts. This is not right or skillful effort. Our effort is to be awake and aware of our self (body-mind complex). That is all. Just be there with your breath, body, and mind.