"Allow a minute for each breath"

sova

http://www.kosei-shuppan.co.jp/english/text/mag/2009/09_456_11.html

"When one begins training in Zen meditation, one is instructed rigorously in three activities--harmonizing the body, harmonizing the breath, and harmonizing the mind. One is taught the importance of having correct posture, of breathing properly, and of preparing the mind so that it is not unsettled.

The Correct Way to Breathe

So what, then, is correct breathing? And why should breathing, which is something we are always doing anyway, be so strongly connected with our minds?

The Zen master Somei Tsuji, who at first started Zen training as a lay practitioner, and then inherited the Dharma Lamp of Zen lineage, and who has given guidance to various lay practitioners, had a particular interest in the subject of breathing, and even published a book entitled Kokyu no Kufu (How to Breathe). In it, he teaches the importance of being able to slow down our breathing. He says that breathing slowly is of particular importance. Observing that most Zen monks, when practicing Zen meditation, allow more than a minute for each breath, he tells us to allow at least one minute per breath. But why is it so important to slow down our breathing? How is breathing connected with our minds?"

Chaz

sova said:

http://www.kosei-shuppan.co.jp/english/text/mag/2009/09_456_11.html

"When one begins training in Zen meditation, one is instructed rigorously in three activities--harmonizing the body, harmonizing the breath, and harmonizing the mind. One is taught the importance of having correct posture, of breathing properly, and of preparing the mind so that it is not unsettled.

The Correct Way to Breathe

So what, then, is correct breathing? And why should breathing, which is something we are always doing anyway, be so strongly connected with our minds?

The Zen master Somei Tsuji, who at first started Zen training as a lay practitioner, and then inherited the Dharma Lamp of Zen lineage, and who has given guidance to various lay practitioners, had a particular interest in the subject of breathing, and even published a book entitled Kokyu no Kufu (How to Breathe). In it, he teaches the importance of being able to slow down our breathing. He says that breathing slowly is of particular importance. Observing that most Zen monks, when practicing Zen meditation, allow more than a minute for each breath, he tells us to allow at least one minute per breath. But why is it so important to slow down our breathing?

I'm not sure that it is, really. I learned my meditation technique in the Tibetan tradition. There we're taught to breathe naturally. That said, as my practice has deepened over the years I find my breathing does tend to slow down a bit.

How is breathing connected with our minds?

Because we use mind to observe the rise and fall of our breath, which gives us space to use mind to observe the rise and fall of thought, emotions and so on.

My 2 cents.

sova

Thank you for your input @Chaz

Yes, natural breathing. Sometimes I will do deep long breaths early in the day to help me get into it. Once saw a video clip of a yogi on a beach doing a bunch of rapid breathing and abdominal stretching exercises.

Thanks again for your thoughts. Nice to hear what people think

lobster

The breath indicates the nature of our being and feeds back to the body/mind complex. Meditation and vocal chanting will deepen the breath.
If the breath is natural and long, you are nearer to physical and mental health.
Being in a state of well . . . being is interwoven with breath

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneuma
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapanasati

The only 'spiritual practice' I was ever aware my teacher did in his younger days, was pranayama. However as a Pratyekabuddha, this was never taught.

Be gentle, like your breath
Be kind, to your breathing
Sit and observe your breath

One day, your breath will teach you all you need to know . . .

pegembara

1. But why is it so important to slow down our breathing?
2.How is breathing connected with our minds?"

Our minds are not normally connected with our breathing. They are mostly elsewhere but by tying the mind to the breath, we are effectively training the mind (ox) to follow the breath and stop wandering.

Once that is done, slowing down the breath also slows down(tranquilize) the mind. A still mind sees things more clearly compared to a mind that has not settled down.

Dakini

Slowing the breath, and taking slow, deep breaths, quiets the mind by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system. This shuts off the stress hormones, thereby quieting the "busy mind", and turns on the calming, feel-good neurotransmitters, like dopamine and serotonin, and norepinephrine, a calming hormone. This helps still the mind and allows us to focus inwardly. It induces an altered state of consciousness to the hyperactive mind we usually experience. It also switches us over from the analytical left brain to the intuitive right brain. That's the physiology of it.

wrathfuldeity

If you can control your breath...you control your mind, emotions, behaviors and karma. Be mindful of your breathing it will teach you much.

Citta

Mindfulness and control are not compatible.
The term that is ascribed to the Buddha was 'anapanasati ' Mindfulness or Awareness of the breath. He was careful to distinguish it from pranayana..yogic breath control.
The latter might have benefits.
But it was not taught by the Buddha.
As one pointedness develops the breath tends to slow down of its own accord. It is not a wilful matter.

wrathfuldeity

Citta, granted mindfulness and control of breath are different...but not necessarily incompatible; there are times/situations that I am doing both.

Citta

I'll rephrase ,pranayama may be of benefit..perhaps great benefit.
Anapanasati has a different aim.
Basic instruction in anapanasati STARTS with a reminder that that it is not about breath control.

wrathfuldeity

I don't think we are disagreeing. My bad, OP is beginning...mindfulness is a good place to start.

misecmisc1

Citta said:

Basic instruction in anapanasati STARTS with a reminder that that it is not about breath control.

as far as my theoretical understanding goes - i think here there is a thing, whose interpretation is debatable, because in the Anapanasati sutta, there is a phrase saying - He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.'

even in forest thai tradition itself, there are 2 meanings which are derived of this phrase - monks like ajahn chah , brahm etc say that the breath just needs to be observed as it flows and it will calm the bodily fabrications gradually - monks like i think ajahn fuang , thanissaro bhikku etc say that it means that the breath needs to be modified so that it soothes the body, thereby gradually we know how to breathe to calm us down, thereby the monk trains himself that if he breathes in this way, then he will calm his bodily fabrications which involve calming his breath and so calming his body.

So it is not that Anapanasati clearly states that it is not about breath control - agreed, it is not the sort of breath control as in pranayama - but still there is a phrase in it, which suggests that if needed, the breath needs to be modified to help it become more calm - as explained by thanisaro bhikku.

Citta

The breath after a while becomes calm when we gently place attention on it. Try it. The initial phase is marked by self-consciousness, which alters the pattern of the breath because we become aware of something that normally happens on automatic pilot. This initial phase can take minutes, or with people given to anxiety and hyper vigilance in can take a number of sessions...But eventually the breath will settle down and we can develop relaxed awareness of the in and out breath.
As the mind becomes one-pointed the breath will then become slower and deeper with no involvement of the will or of intentions..
That is the beginning of the Buddhist practice of anapanasati.
Once that is established it is possible to relax into even more subtle states..the breathing becomes more refined, unril there are periods where it seems like breathing has almost stopped.
Experienced practitioners have been wired up while doing anapanasati and the breath does not actually stop..but becomes highly refined.
There is only only way to verify this..and that is to practice it over time, preferably with instruction.

_/\_

sova

Thank you all for your kind input.

Sometimes I start with pranayama (breathing control, didn't know what it was called until today to stretch out and accustomize my breathing sacks haha, maybe there is a better term for that..

So kind of like stretching before sitting. I find it helps me to relax into the natural rhythm of the breath more easily.

Enjoy the beautiful wonder that is life today.

Citta

Pranayama is a good thing. I know somebody who pretty much cured themselves of a lung condition caused by long term exposure to dust in a work setting using pranayama.
Anapanasati has a different aim. It could be practised by those who are dying from a lung related disease...Its aim is not predominantly health orientated, it is the breath as a vehicle for one-pointedness.
According to the records that we have, the Buddha -to- be practised intensely for seven years..during that time he tried a number of different meditative disciplines. One that he recommended strongly to all his monks was anapanasati.
He gave clear instructions as to its use.
Now, we live in a different time and each of us has different needs and temperaments, but I think anapanasati is worth trying.

Dakini

Well, look, people. There's no "right" way to do the breath for meditation, because different Buddhist traditions do it differently. So the OP is free to choose his method.

As far as recommendations for Zen go, different teachers teach differently. The Batchelors, who studied Korean Zen, say to just watch the breath, nothing less, nothing more. But the OP has found sources that say it's important to slow the breath. And the best way I know of doing that is to take deeper breaths, which on this thread has been called "yogic breath control". This is taught in the Tibetan tradition, but it seems like there are Zen sources that hint at this, too.

The OP's best bet might be to address his question to a Zen teacher, when he has the opportunity.

Jeffrey

I have a technique for doing the opposite of what the OP is asking. If your breath deviates from 'normal' the trick is to say to yourself that you are done meditating. You are just sitting on the floor totally ordinary; you could be sitting on a bus. I wonder if a pitfall of pranayana breathing could be that we feel special because of our state of mind. Which I am not saying is a bad thing!

lobster

Depending on how you are taught meditation, aspects of pranayama may be incorporated. There are specific yoga and breath sequences that can help as preliminaries to formal sitting yoga or lotus Padmāsana.
Yoga nidra, pranayama and just becoming aware of body asana is helpful for those of us too disquiet to sit gently. It is quite likely that the Buddha mastered the body through yoga techniques. Some pranayama techniques are a little extreme, so on the whole I feel a gentle and natural breath and slow asana is more of a useful preliminary.

Meditation does not come easy to all, some become enlightened just by study, just by practicing compassion, just by the presence of those providing insight.

Be honest. Meditation is the key but you may need attunement first. Where are you? What are your needs and capacities. Find alignment, move towards well . . .
Being . . .

Citta

In the end we can all give our various POV...but the real issue is about getting hands-on instruction in a method ( ideally ) then... Starting..and continuing.
We live at a time when it is possible to spend endless month and even years circling around the practice airport and never landing.
There is always one more technique to try, and one more opinion to chew over.