Guided Meditation: Counting the Breath

Counting the breath meditation involves a deliberate and focused observation of the breath. The practitioner assumes a comfortable posture conducive to alertness and relaxation. With eyes either gently closed or slightly open, attention is drawn inward to the sensation of breathing.

As the breath flows naturally, the practitioner directs their awareness to the rhythm of exhalation. With each outbreath, there is a mental noting or counting of the breath. This counting occurs silently within the mind. The practitioner may choose to count from one to a predetermined number, often up to ten or twenty.

The focus is solely on the sensation of the breath leaving the body. The practitioner observes the entire duration of the outbreath, from the initial release of air to the moment it ceases. Each exhalation is acknowledged with a mental count.

Throughout this practice, the practitioner maintains a gentle yet unwavering attention on the breath. The counting serves as an anchor, grounding the mind in the present moment and providing a focal point for concentration. It serves to minimize distractions and wandering thoughts.

The music for this episode is “Starlight” - by Podington Bear of Portland, Oregon - Thanks to composer Chad Crouch. Support Chad here.

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Speaker 1: 00:21

Let's do a session of meditation on the breath. Sometimes in the beginning of practice, especially, it can be helpful to count the breath. So as we get into this meditation, I'll give you some guidance for the practice of counting the breath. If it's part of your practice to do refuge and bodhichitta as preliminaries, please do that, and then you can proceed with the actual meditation. Begin by settling into the body as relaxed as you can.

Speaker 1: 01:25

Each body is different and each day, each hour, each moment, also different. Sometimes it helps to start at the top of the head and to just kind of scan down through the body, relaxing wherever you find tension being held, often in the face, around the eyes, or the mouth. Just letting go of effort. The neck, the shoulders, the belly, the legs, the back. Down through the legs, the knees often oddly hold tension.

Speaker 1: 02:19

Down through the calves and the ankles and out through the feet and maybe another sweep of the body. Just noticing where you are efforting and, if possible, relaxing. And one more time down through the body, letting go of all effort. Sometimes, the body won't let go, and that's fine. But where you can, do that.

Speaker 1: 03:14

And now rest your attention on the process of breathing. And you want to do this kind of lightly without any sense of grasping or control. And there's no particular breath to make. You know how to breathe. You do it every day.

Speaker 1: 03:39

That breath is fine. But you notice that the process of breathing involves the in breath bringing air into the body and, of course, an out breath. It also muscles of the body work, and the skin flexes. So when you notice the process of breathing, you just can rest your attention in a kind of relaxed and loose way, yet steady on that whole experience. It's kind of a a metronome in the background of this meditation.

Speaker 1: 04:21

So try that for a little bit. And when you feel connected with the breath, then when you breathe in, noticing that and then breathe out, noticing that. At the end of the out breath, there's that long out breath into space. Right? So just there and noticing.

Speaker 1: 05:03

And then count 1. And just at the natural rhythm of your own breath, you breathe in when you're ready next, and you breathe out. And at the end of that out breath, in your mind to yourself, 2. And you continue this until you reach 21. And if you get lost, very simple, the moment that you notice you're lost, in that moment, you are back in connection with the breath.

Speaker 1: 05:41

That's wonderful. And so you breathe in, breathe out, and begin again the counting. 1. And then after that, 2 on the out breath. And you continue until you reach 21.

Speaker 1: 05:55

Or maybe you don't reach 21 and your timer goes off. That's fine too. The whole idea is to be a steady friend to the breath, awake, attentive. The whole thing is very gentle, very kind, so just continue like this, counting the breath.