Breathing Meditations
How to Meditate Using the Breath
Many meditations involve focusing on the breath. We offer two variations of breathing techniques. This is perhaps the easiest way to begin meditating and you may never need to look further. Begin with the Breath Awareness Meditation and when you find that you are able to follow the breath for periods of time, you can try the Stillness in the Breath meditation.
Posture: It is preferable to sit while doing these breath meditations. Sitting up is more conducive to meditation as the mind is more likely to remain alert. Sit upright with the spine as straight as possible while remaining comfortable. Don’t strain in any way to make the spine straight. It’s important to be comfortable so that you can relax completely.
Breath Awareness Meditation
Listen to our Breath Awareness Meditation or read instructions below:
Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take a few moments to “simply be”. Notice whatever is being experienced in the moment — sounds, physical sensations, thoughts, feelings — without trying to do anything about it. Continue like this a little while, allowing yourself to settle down.
Now bring the attention to the breath. Simply notice the breath as it moves in and out as the body inhales and exhales. Notice how the breath moves in and out automatically, effortlessly. Don’t try to manipulate it in any way. Notice all the details of the experience of breathing — the feeling of the air moving in and out of the nose, the way the body moves as it breathes, etc.
The mind will wander away from the breath — that’s fine, it doesn’t matter. That’s a part of the meditation! When you notice that you are no longer observing the breath, easily bring your attention back to it.
Let all of your experiences — thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations — come and go in the background of your awareness of the breath. Notice how all of your experiences — thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, awareness of sounds and smells — come automatically and effortlessly like the breath.
In time, you can become aware of the tendencies of your mind. You will see how it resists certain experiences and tries to hold onto others. The natural settling down of the mind allows you to notice these underlying tendencies and creates the possibility to let them go. If you experience a resistance to what is occurring, an attempt to change what is happening, a tendency to hold on to some experience — let it go.
Stillness in the Breath Meditation
Listen to our Stillness in the Breath Meditation or read instructions below.
This is a variation on the Breath Awareness Meditation that you can try if you find you are able to watch the breath for periods of time. Start as above and when you are settled into the process of observing the breath, become aware of the point at which the breath turns the corner from the inhalation to the exhalation, and from the exhalation to the inhalation. Notice what is there. It is not a thing — it is a gap between the breaths, nevertheless there can be awareness of it. It is a kind of “still point”.
Continue to bring your attention to that still point, bringing your attention back to the gaps in the breath whenever it has wandered away. As you continue practicing this meditation, you may find that the stillness is no longer experienced as discrete gaps between the breaths, but is a more continuous experience. This cultivates the awareness of the stillness that is present in the midst of activity, and can create a profound experience of peace.
Our Meditation Guidelines will help support your experience with these meditations. If the process is difficult in any way, read our Difficulty Meditating page.
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75 Responses to “Breathing Meditations”
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i am araby from yemen
i am not good in english
is it possible to send information by arabic
I’m sorry. We don’t have instructions in Arabic. Perhaps you know someone who could translate the page.
Hello Mary,
I have meditate to your Breath Awareness Meditation on line.
My question is, do you have some meditation classes?
Best wishes.
Ewa.
Hello Ewa,
We are creating an online meditation class. Hopefully that will be available soon. Check back in a few weeks!
Best wishes, Mary
Hello Mary
I am a new member. Really, you have an exciting web page with a very valuable information.
Best wishes.
SSG
Welcome, SSG! Glad you are enjoying the website. Best wishes to you!
Hi
Recently when I meditate I get arb visuals – for example tonight when meditating I watched a someone licking an envelope, but could only see the tounge not the face…
I have arb people doing things and saying things that I don’t understand and hardly remember when I bring myself back…
I have also watched cartoons snippets with story lines that would not have been in a children’s cartoon.. not violent or anything just bizarre…
What is this and if these are messages how can I try to remember them…
Hi Charmaine,
I would just assume that any images that come and go, fleeting thoughts, etc. that don’t make sense and you can’t really remember are like dreams. Sometimes during meditation we enter a dream-like state and things get processed just like they do in dreams. I wouldn’t take them to be messages. Just let them go.
While doing the meditation exercises – how important is posture? On this page under online courses, you show someone in a yogic position, should we aim for this and is there a next best seated position?
Which postures are best for anxiety and sleeplessness?
To be effective should we practice the exercises several times a day?
The website and exercises are very helpful – thank you.
Good questions, Monica!
It’s not necessary to be in a yogic posture to benefit from these meditations. (In fact we’ll look for another picture as this may be misleading!) In general, sitting up fairly straight is the best posture, but not straining to sit up so straight that you are uncomfortable. This would be the case regardless of why you are meditating (eg. anxiety, sleeplessness). Comfort is very important.
The first breathing meditation on this page can be done lying down, although sitting up helps the mind to stay alert and is preferable for most meditations.
As for how often, it depends on how long you are meditating and what kind of meditation you are doing, so it’s difficult to advise you. If you are starting with the Breath Awareness Meditation above and do it for just 5 or 10 minutes, you can do that anytime you want throughout the day. If you meditate longer, like 20 minutes, once or twice a day will probably be right. You can go by your experience.
For sleeplessness — the right guided meditations can help people fall asleep. If you are listening to a meditation in order to fall asleep, of course you can do it while lying in bed. We have a CD with a meditation especially designed for sleep, the Sleep Easy CD (also available as an mp3 download). Many people have reported being able to fall asleep with some of our podcasts as well.
can i use the word “ohm” & how in meditation..
Many people use the mantra “ohm” for meditation. I am not an expert on mantras and so am not sure which is best for a particular person to use, but many feel ohm is a universal mantra.
Mantras can be used in a number of ways in meditation. Probably the best thing would be to find a teacher of mantra meditation and learn from them. Some examples are Transcendental Meditation, Sahaj Samadhi Meditation with the Art of Living program, and the Primordial Sound Meditation created by Deepak Chopra.
Hi team,
Could you do the breathing exercise lying down in the sun while your tanning?
ijk
During meditation, I get a pronounced feeling between my eyebrows, centered directly above my nose. It’s actually somewhat of a pleasant feeling. It occurs virtually everytime I meditate.
Does anyone else experience this? Does anyone know what it is?
AirMed, I think you will find that many people experience this. The sixth chakra (the “third eye”) is located between the eyebrows above the nose. This is often activated during meditation and you are undoubtedly feeling that. You might want to read the Sensing Energy During Meditation post.
ivo kornel, Yes, you can do the breathing exercise anytime you are lying down (or sitting).
Sometimes when I do your meditations, I start crying. Is this normal? Should I try to stop crying? I feel like I become focused on “why am I crying?” and trying to stop crying and I lose site of the meditation itself.
It’s not unusual to find yourself crying in meditation. When we start to relax deeply, tension is released and emotions may come to the surface. Best thing is to just let it happen. Resisting crying will only make it worse and not allow the release to occur all the way. If you started to get focused on “why am I crying”, just treat that thought as any other thought and come back to the meditation.
It doesn’t matter if the mind wanders during meditation, just easily bring it back to the meditation when you notice that has happened.
I love your breath meditations. I have started meditating in earnest and suddenly find myself much more likely to cry, not *during* meditation but after, in everyday situations; I’m also exercising a few times a week–nothing too strenuous. And not eating chocolate etc., trying to eat more healthy (and hoping to lose a little weight). Trying to get/feel better. Now though I have been more clumsy than usual and have tripped three or four times and hit my head! After I meditate I feel much more relaxed . . . but now I am a bit concerned. Thank you for any thoughts you may share.
LoraC, I can’t know for sure what is causing you to cry more and be clumsy and trip. It is possible it has to do with meditating too much. Too much meditation can make us “spacey” and ungrounded, thus affecting physical coordination. Also, since the deep relaxation of meditation can lead to release of emotions (which could cause the crying), it’s possible to have so much being released that it becomes uncomfortable. Of course, it’s possible there’s something else going on in your life, but one way to test it out is to cut back on how much you are meditating and see if these things change. If the crying decreases and the clumsiness goes away, you’ll know it’s the meditation. Then you can regulate how much you do accordingly.
I’m going to write a blog post about this and will repeat this and say a little more, so check for the post.
Hello Mary,
I like your elegant site. I wonder if you could comment or offer some tips on the following. I find when I observe my breath, it automatically becomes hesitant or forced in quality. I mentioned this to my Alexander Teacher and she said this was often a common problem.
Hello marina,
Yes, this is very common. Once you start observing the breath, you can start to get involved mentally with it. Try the Breath Awareness meditation on our free Podcast and if you still have this problem, ask again. It’s difficult for me to offer tips if you are pursuing another meditation instruction.
Hello !
I just came accross this website and wanted to say hi !
Very usefull pages and lots of info !
i particularly like how you take the time and respond to every single comment !!! it’s truly wonderful to see how patient and dedicated and passionate you are !
WB
Thanks for your kind words, Wonderboy. I love commenting back — these “conversations” help me learn. I’ll keep doing it as long as time allows!
Hello
Is this meditation useful for treating minor anxiety problems?
Hi Dolly,
It might help with mild anxiety — you can try it and see! (An easy way would be by listening to our Breath Awareness Meditation in the podcast.) Deep breathing can also be useful for anxiety, as well as other forms of meditation.
Thx Mary, for the answer.
I have another question……can you plz shortly describe the benefits of doing “Breath Awareness Meditation”…..as i want to start it, so i must be knowing the benefits of it
Basically i am interested in meditation to increase my concentration, to build patience in me, and also to subside minor anxiety…….Can I achieve these benefits by doing “Breath Awareness Meditation”…?…….or, starting from which meditation will be more useful for me…?
thanks
Dolly, the benefits of the Breath Awareness Meditation and similar to the benefits of other meditation styles (see our benefits page). I would suggest that you try listening to different meditations in our podcast and see what works best for you. It’s hard to say which meditations will suit which individuals the best.
Congats for the site and everything. It brings me peace!
Mary, I am not a native English speaker, so sometimes I miss a sort of “transcript” section here, where I could read, what I hear you say on the mp3´s files. Is it possible to provide us with that? I would be even more relaxed being sure I understand your audios 100%, so that I do exactly as you say.
Thx a lot!
Hello Sarah, Thank you for your kind words. Glad the site brings you peace! Unfortunately making a transcript of the meditations would be a major project and is unlikely to happen. I suspect that your English is good enough for the purposes of listening to these meditations. Our instruction for these meditations is to listen very easily without straining to hear all the words. You don’t need to hear and understand them all. My words aren’t meant as instructions to be followed in a precise way. In fact, if you are hearing the words 100%, you are trying too hard to stay focused! You can let yourself relax and just hear what you naturally hear. That’s all you need to hear!
Hi, i have been practicing breathing meditations for some time but was not sure whether m doin it in right way. I m really glad to find such site, thanks a lot !! I got to know a lot from this..thanks.
You are welcome, Ayush. Glad the site is helping!
I have had a lot of turmoil in my life as of recently. I am also someone with Fibromyalgia- chronic pain disorder. I have been using your podcasts. Deep sleep has been marvelous. I am so new to the meditation, which would you recommend for a beginner?
Thank you so much for having podcasts as I cant afford much. Mary your voice is so soothing, it is very calming to me.
Have a great week.
Smiles
You are welcome, Sonia. If you read our How to Get the Most Out of the Podcast page, there are recommendations for beginning meditations. The Deep Rest which you are already doing is a good one too. Try using the beginning ones for a while. They are “basic meditations” and a foundation for the others.
Hi Mary!
I’ve been practicing meditation for quite a time, but not really regularly. And I also haven’t really noticed any improvement. Could you please tell me how long does it normally take to see the benefits of meditation?
Lucio, this depends on so many different factors – the kind of meditation you are doing, how long and how often you meditate, and so on. Also, people are very different in how they respond and what particular types of results they see. Therefore it’s difficult to answer your question.
Meditating regularly, though, can make a big difference in how soon you will notice benefits!
Thank you for your quick and useful feedback, Mary, I really appreciate that. I got an other question, regarding the posture of the hands and fingers. Does it matter how my fingers and hands should be placed as there are a several ways for this.
Lucio, For the kind of meditation on this website, placement of fingers doesn’t matter. Just be comfortable. Again, there are many different kinds of meditation, all with different instructions. It would probably be best to choose one kind and learn it and see if it works for you, and then if that’s not working for you, try another. The answers you get here may not apply to another kind of meditation style. You can try meditating with our guided meditations on our Listen to Our Podcast page if you’d like.
Thank you for your clear instructions on meditation. I have found that i am able to perform with the stillness of breath meditation. I do not understand why i shed tears during this exercise. Can you please advise why? this does occur when i am totally in a state of stillness in the mind.
Hello Soha,
I can’t say for sure why you shed tears during the meditation. It can be for a number of reasons and you can explore that within yourself. Here are several possibilities: 1) in the deep state of relaxation you have with this meditation, there is an emotional release; 2) you are moved to tears in the same way that you might be upon seeing a beautiful sunset – almost like “tears of joy”, 3) you may feel a great relief as you experience that stillness, and you may feel a lot like you would if you were returning home after a long and difficult journey. There may be tears of relief. Those aren’t the only possibilities, but perhaps these can help you discover an answer within yourself.
Of course, it’s not necessary to have an answer to that if the tears don’t disturb you. Just let them be there!
Hello is it possible to get a man that u know and like by meditation. As in think of him while meditation and he will come to you?is it true? Thanks a lot x
lina, there’s no easy answer to this. Such a meditation would use visualization, and it may or may not bring about the desired results. Try it and see!
Hello Mary
After I meditate continously for 3-4 days, I am suffering from fever sometimes I experience just the feverish feeling and slight headache with out actual rise in body temperature but some times I do observe an increased body temperature. After I experience this feeling I will stop the meditation for a prolonged period of time and every thing seems to be alright after that, After I start meditation once again the same thing repeats again… So stopped doing it continously.. Is there any relation between meditation and fever or am I reading too much in to a normal process ( having a fever )..I have tried different meditation Agna chakra, breadth meditation , Meditation on Twin hearts but I experience the same in every thing.. So can you please guide me
Thank you
Pradeep, you need to consult a meditation teacher individually to get some guidance as we’re not able to find out enough about you, how you are meditating and so on through website comments. I will say that if “meditate continuously” means that you meditate for long periods of time, this could certainly create a problem. Meditation periods have to be limited and balanced with daily activity. Good luck.
Hi Mary,
Thanks so much for your reply …. Continously means daily If I mediatate daily for a maximum of 30 mins and if I do this daily for 4-5 days and sometimes for a maximum of a week I have that problem
I hope you can find a teacher in your area who can advise you with this. Good luck!
Hi Mary,
I find it very difficult to be aware of my breath, coz while i try doing it,Instead of just being aware of the breath and allowing it to flow naturally, my mind gets too involved with the breath. My mind keeps reproducing the breathing sound, hmmm, haaa. Its tough to describe clearly what i feel but basically the mind is not quiet. But i find it much more easy to close my eyes and concentrate on the darkness interspersed with light that i get to see once my eyes are closed. But most of the mindful meditation instructions i came across advise us to start off with the breath, so I’m a bit confused. Is it okay if i continue to meditate the way find it easy to do or should i stick with the breath? Please help.
Raghunath, my advice is to do what works for you! There are many, many kinds of meditation besides mindfulness, and mindfulness is not for everyone. If you want to continue to meditate with the breath, I’m sure your can overcome the problem you are having. You can try meditating along with the Breath Awareness meditation on our podcast (see our Listen to Our Podcast page). Let the mind do what it does — let go of the struggle you are having with your mind. So what if the mind reproduces the breathing sound — there is actually a meditation style in which one thinks a sound with the breath on purpose (so hum). On the other hand, you don’t have to use the breath. Again, do what works for you.
My heart is suffering with fear of unknown things. Can i make fearless heart with help of meditation??
Sandy, sometimes meditation is enough to take care of this and sometimes you need other help as well. You are welcome to listen to our free guided meditations on our podcast page and see if they help.
breath meditation is something i have been practicing for over three years now… indeed a lot has occurred since than… most recent experience being, 1. needle pricking sensation at the base of the spine 2. stomach munching 3. chest pain 4. eye brows hurt and 5. the head, as if something is crawling and at times pressure and at times as if it is goin to burst open. I observe all of this and move on. i practice for over an hour… while even typing this i can feel the pressure right between my eye brows… i see flashes of tiny whitish blue lights with my eyes open… i also see dark objects moving with my eyes open… i hear sounds and songs from far away… there was also a time when i tried to pull my kundalini up and because i practice breath meditation it was rising really quick but i was scared and i stopped… i am from india and have understood a few things… i have also worked on almost 15 Upanishads, they are short essays…
what i have come to realize up to this point is the fact that meditation is a very important path for spiritual progress however equally important is developing love and faith… Love to all…
[...] are more detailed instructions, and a link discussing meditation difficulties. Breathing Instructions Difficulty [...]
Hey,I am new to your site.I liked your breathing meditation techniques and i think that it is an ancient technique of breath meditation.Thanks for sharing..
Nikhil, you are welcome. You might want to listen to our Breath Awareness meditation on our Listen to Our Podcast. page.
I listened to the Grief Meditation Podcast and it seems to be a very good one but it makes my grief run even deeper. I thought it might ease my deep sadness from losing my spouse but the tears run even stronger through the whole meditation. Is it a good idea to keep trying this type of meditation or will it do more harm than good? Thanks for any comments.
Bob
Bob, the only way through grief is to feel it fully. It’s painful but the tears are part of the healing. It’s important, though, to pace yourself. Also, we highly recommend that you get some professional grief support, especially if you suspect that you are depressed (beyond the natural sadness of grief).
Thank you for your fast response Mary. I have had no problems releasing my grief and, after 54 years of marriage, maybe I’m expecting results too quickly.
I have gone through one-on-one and group counseling at Hospice and I do meditation and read books but after 9 months I’m still in deep sadness. It has only been 9 months but the pain really doesn’t ease up. Maybe I should keep using your meditation method,accepting the added tears, and hope time will heal. Thanks again.
Bob, 9 months since the death of your wife of 54 years is no time at all. Time will heal, but this is a huge loss and major change in your life. You can use the meditation and see if the added tears have a benefit. If the grief is bottled up, it can cause a different kind of pain. I wish you well.
Very interesting. I have already started breathing meditation. Kindly advise me the next step. Kindly admit me as your student. I WILLBE EVER GRATEFUL TO YOU
R. Ganesan — We don’t take on private students, but you can work with the meditations in our podcast (see the Listen to Our Podcast page), or take our Online Meditation Course (also available as an iPhone/iPad app).
[...] Avoid clenching your buttocks or lifting your pelvis off the bed. Try focusing on your breath with techniques like this one. [...]
Hi
Thanks for this. It’s a beautiful meditation technique.
I’ve read this in Sri Bhagwan Rajneesh’s 112 meditation techniques but I think the description was better (for me) on this web page.
Thanks again, will try and practise this whenever possible.
Best
Ravi
thanks
Dear Mary And Rechard,
This is very nicely worded guidance on meditation.
Easy and simple. Lovely.
Great.
God bless you.
Pramod Narayan Bhosle
[...] you take some deep breaths before your next presentation, roll this mantra around and around in your mind. It will help you [...]
Thank you very much!
How do we do mediatation… And when I just breathe in deeply tears are just coming in my eyes n yawning .. What is the reason could be??
Siva, Try meditating along with our Breath Awareness Meditation in our free podcast. When the body gets deep rest, it relaxes and releases stress. Tears, yawns and other body reactions may happen.
Oh ok
Thanks a lot:)) appreciated!!
I have a qeustion and that is:
does Breathing awareness meditation have any side effects like breathing problem.
Fazil, done correctly it shouldn’t create breathing problems. It’s possible you could become more aware of your breathing patterns, and notice a problem that was already there. If you experience breathing problems, we recommend you see a doctor.
Is there any difference between Awareness of Breath and TM (transdential meditation)…besides the breath being used as the Mantra? Both are conscentration practices; the mantra is “said” or thought silently in the mind, whereas the breath is just there and we are using awareness.
Mike, this would be a good question to ask a teacher of TM! I think you’ll find the two are different in a number of ways.
Hello, love your instructions and information on meditation.
However, ive stumbled upon a problem. Whenever i meditate on the breath, i know that your supposed to just to follow it and not manipulate it all. But i find it very hard to discern and percieve the breathing through my nostrils, im almost certianly never find or feel it. Also, when i finally focus my breathing on the stomach, i find myself thinking im manipulating or find it impossible to foloow it without manipulating it.
What can i do to help in my situation??
Micheal, try meditating along with the Breath Awareness meditation on our Listen To Our Podcast page and see if that helps. It doesn’t matter if you don’t feel the air in your nostrils, just be aware of it however and wherever you feel it. Sometimes simple awareness of the breath makes it feel like you are manipulating it. Let go of the struggle about it. Let it seem that way.