7. What is"beginner's method" ?
By Suryanarayana Rao C
The method explained here is extremely easy to understand and easy to practice.
It readily attracts a beginner.
It does not require any allotment of time, initiative, physical effort, belief in anybody or a higher power. It can be tried according to your whims and fancies. Thus it does not pose any hurdles for a beginner.
Even when you try in this free style you will get surprising benefits.
Such a dream method is described here. It is so simple and easy that 90 % of the population including children can use it comfortably to gain control over their minds.
Feeling ingoing breaths
The secret of this easy method is to mentally feel the slight coolness inside the nose whenever breath is going in.
It's principle is to repeatedly and tirelessly focus your usually wandering mind on the feeling of coolness inside the nose that is always available to you. As simple as this.
An average person breaths 16 times per minute. It means 16 x60 x 16 = 15,360 breaths during the wakeful period of 16 hours in a day. You have great number of opportunities before you all the time.
Whenever air is entering your lungs, you can easily feel a slight coolness inside your nose . When air goes out you hardly feel any sensation.
Try to feel several ingoing breaths right now.
Have you tried ?
If you could not feel the coolness when breath is going in, try this time with your eyes closed.
You can definitely feel slight coolness every time air is entering your nose. Try many times with eyes closed till you feel it easily.
Then feel the coolness with open eyes several times.
When you easily feel coolness with open eyes read further. Till that time continue to experiment as explained above.
Do not confuse this process with breath control in yoga practice
In this method, you should not make any effort to change the way breathing is going on. Do not try to lengthen, shorten or retain it. Just accept quietly whatever way breath is going in and out. Be like an audience watching a movie without reacting to it.
The effectiveness of this method is not dependent on the oxygen in the air or quality of air. It is a simple mental process which gives a soothing effect to your mind and relaxation to your body.
Counting breaths
Now that you are able to feel coolness of ingoing air start counting the ingoing breaths. Count - 1 now when you feel the first breath going in. When you breath out just try to feel it. When you feel the next breath going in, count - 2. Continue to count every time breath goes in - 3, 4, 5, and so on.
Count your ingoing breaths without reading further.
How many breaths could you count before getting a break in counting ?
After counting the first breath you might have counted up to say 8, 15, 36 or so. After some number, your mind abandoned breath counting and jumped to some random thoughts, having no relation to breathing, coolness or counting.
Such breaks in breath counting happen to everybody. Don’t get discouraged. On the other hand congratulate yourself.
You have just tasted a powerful process. It will help you enjoy your life which is bound to have fluctuating pleasures and pains Patiently and smilingly start again from 1 and count ingoing breaths.
Count your breaths now without reading further.
What number could you reach ?
Again your mind would have forgotten breath counting after some number was reached. No problem. Start breath counting again from 1 and go on repeating the process.
It is purely a game of patience and persistence which you will very soon master and enjoy the consequent comfort. You can not expect the wandering habit of your mind formed over many years, to change in a few days. It will be a slow and steady process. Simply continue in spite of breaks.
After many days of breath counting efforts in this manner, you will be able to count more breaths than you could initially. It indicates some habit formation of your mind.
Most important is to mentally concentrate on feeling the coolness of ingoing breaths.
Do not give any importance to number of breaths counted. Counting is only to initially help you maintain better continuity in feeling the breaths.
When to do breath counting?
Now you may be thinking "When can I do breath counting ? My mind is never free for taking up this new business".
Here are two easy ways to initiate the habit of breath counting.
Every day you are bound to go to sleep and wake up from sleep.
You can practice breath counting when you are comfortably relaxing in bed, just waiting for sleep and your mind is wandering as usual.
You can also do it when you wake up from sleep but are still lying in bed, again with a wandering mind.
Any one of the above two times convenient to you, is enough to make a begining.
Even lazy people can develop the habit using these two easy oppurtunities.
How long should I do it ?
No guidelines are given. Like most beginners, you may use them as excuses to avoid even trying the process.
You can do breath counting for a little time or a long time. Do not worry or blame yourself if you miss the practice some days or even weeks. Missing frequently is natural to this process in the early stages.
Duration of practice has no important at this stage. Be happy if you do it for only a few times before falling asleep and a few times on waking up. Pat yourself for even little advances in practice. As a beginner's strategy what is most valuable is your interest in working on yourself at your own pace. You are not to please anybody.
What is the next step after regular breath counting ?
You have developed interest in the process. Good. Here is the reward.
When you feel happy with the habit of breath counting, you can stop counting !
Simply feel the coolness of ingoing breaths, as many times as you can, when waiting for sleep or on waking up. You will surely taste the amazing effect of breath feeling very soon. You may never have experienced such a mental comfort so easily till now.
8. How to progress further ?
By Suryanarayana Rao C
You now have an opportunity for injecting the " coolness of breath feeling" into most of your daily activities and situations, having tasted the comfort it gives you.
Whenever you remember about this process, just feel your breath going in, as many times as you can, any time of day or night.
You can use any posture or any activity for enjoying the comfort of breath feeling.
Some ideas -
Lying lazily in bed on waking up
Feeling frustrated or tense
Feeling impatient or angry
Feeling tired or troubled
Not getting sleep after it breaks
Listening to people
Waiting in a queue
Listening on telephone
Watching TV
Travelling in bus, car or plane
Whenever idle or bored
Doing hard or difficult work
Waiting for sleep
Brushing teeth
Bathing
Combing hair
Doing household work
Smoking
Drinking
Eating
Reading
Playing games
After returning from work
When you want relaxation
About to get angry or depressed
Best opportunities for developing the habit
Walking at any place any time
Listening to anybody any time
During meetings or gatherings
Use the idle moments in many activities during which your mind wanders. For example: waiting for the desired computer screen to appear, waiting on telephone for the other to respond and so on- feel your breaths a few times.
Whenever your mind is idle or you feel disturbing thoughts, you can switch over to breath feeling. It will immediately comfort your mind. One beginner who experienced breath feeling for 10 minutes for the first time sitting in a chair said " it is like fitting an air conditioner to the mind!"