5

[PRACTICE]

AT T E N D I N G T O T H E B R E AT H O F L I F E

Find a quiet room where you can sit alone without being disturbed.
Soften the lighting and find a comfortable place to sit for twenty-
five minutes—on a chair or, if you’re comfortable, sitting cross-
legged on a cushion. You can also lie on your back on your bed,
for instance, with your head resting on a pillow, your legs straight,
your arms out to the sides, palms up, and your eyes either shut or
partly open. Whatever your position, see that your back is straight
and that you feel physically at ease.
Copyright © 2009. Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

Now focus your attention on your body, experiencing the sensa-

tions from the soles of your feet up to the top of your head, both
within your body and on its surfaces. Be totally present in your
body, and if you note any areas that feel tight, breathe into them (at
least in your imagination), and as you exhale, breathe out that ten-
sion. Be aware of the sensations in the muscles of your face—your
jaws, mouth, and forehead—and relax them, letting your face be as
relaxed as a baby’s when it’s fast asleep. Especially be aware of your
eyes. The poets tell us the eyes are windows of the soul. When we’re
upset, the eyes tend to feel hard and piercing, as if they’re bulging
from their sockets. Not only do our mental states influence our eyes,
but we can also influence our minds by softening the eyes. Let them

Wallace, B. Alan. Mind in the Balance : Meditation in Science, Buddhism, and Christianity, Columbia University Press, 2009.
ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/britishcouncilonline-ebooks/detail.action?docID=908194.
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 be soft and relaxed, with no contraction between the eyebrows or in the fore-
head. Set your whole body at ease.
For the duration of these twenty-five minutes, apart from the natural
movement of respiration, let your body be as still as possible. This will help
to stabilize your mind and enable you to focus your attention with greater
continuity. If you’re sitting on a chair or cross-legged, slightly raise your ster-
num and keep your abdominal muscles soft and relaxed, so that when you
breathe in, you feel the sensations of the breath go right down to your belly.
If your breath is shallow, you’ll feel just the abdomen expand. If you inhale
more deeply, first the abdomen, then the diaphragm will expand. And if you
take a very deep breath, first the belly, then the diaphragm, and finally the
chest will expand. Try taking three slow, deep breaths, feeling the sensations
of respiration throughout your body, inhaling almost to full capacity, then
releasing the breath effortlessly.
Then return to normal, unforced respiration, mindfully attending to the
sensations of the breath wherever they arise in the body. Breathe as effort-
lessly as possible, as if you were deeply asleep. And with each exhalation,
think of releasing excess tension in your body, and let go of any clinging to
involuntary thoughts that have arisen in your mind. Continue relaxing all
the way through the end of the out-breath until the in-breath flows in spon-
taneously like the tide.
As you attend to the gentle rhythm of your respiration, you may hear your
neighbor’s dog barking, the sounds of traffic, or the voices of other people.
Take note of whatever arises to your five physical senses, moment by moment,
and let it be. Notice also what goes on in your mind, including thoughts and
Copyright © 2009. Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

emotions that arise in response to stimuli from your environment. Each time
your attention gets caught up in sensory stimuli or thoughts and memories,
breathe out, release your mind from these preoccupations, and gently return
to your breath. Let your attention remain within the field of sensations of
your body, and let the world and the activities of your mind flow around you
unimpeded, without trying to control or influence them in any way.

[40] PART 2: MEDITATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

Wallace, B. Alan. Mind in the Balance : Meditation in Science, Buddhism, and Christianity, Columbia University Press, 2009.
ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/britishcouncilonline-ebooks/detail.action?docID=908194.
Created from britishcouncilonline-ebooks on 2020-08-27 04:42:30.

C4960.indb 40 11/4/08 8:51:27 AM