THE BREATHING MEDITATION

This continues for fifteen or twenty minutes.

Every fibre of your being is involved in this one thing, and you are doing it completely.

It may become obvious to you that the content of this meditation - the meaning of the numbers and the counting - is, in itself, quite meaningless. But the fact that you are doing only one thing at the one time is the point of the exercise. The counting is nothing more than a technique for centring your attention. (In Zen training, the count is to ten. It's more difficult, but you can do it that way if you feel up to it.) You may become aware of the fact that your breathing has slowed to less than you would have previously considered normal. This is probably true, but should be dismissed as irrelevant and nothing but a distraction. You may become aware of the fact that you can't remember ever having felt so relaxed and peaceful. This, too, is irrelevant and has nothing to do with your meditation. You may also think that you're doing very well at your breathing meditation - this thought means you are not doing it as well as is possible.

It won't be long before your mind starts to wander and you'll begin thinking of various things. A long while before you notice it, you will have forgotten your counting and will be thinking of something entirely different. When you become aware of this happening, calmly redirect your thinking to your counting. This is not meant to be a contemplation of counting. Don't treat it too seriously; the wandering mind is part of meditation. Just be aware of the fact that you have strayed from your course, and calmly lead yourself back on to the true path - your counting.

Remember, don't force yourself to concentrate. You should approach the breathing meditation in the most relaxed way possible. If you're faced with the choice of being relaxed with distracting thoughts, or anxious through forcing yourself to concentrate, choose the relaxation path. Sooner or later you will be able to direct your awareness back to your counting with a minimum of fuss. If you manage to count only four breaths before your mind wanders, it is all right.

Next time it might be four sets of four. But don't get competitive with yourself; the goal is to be counting, not to be able to count to four 'x' times.

Soon you will find (and if you are meditating well, you will be unaware of this fact) thaf thoughts are no longer distracting you; that your counting is everything and is dominating your consciousness. You will soon become, as they say, 'one with your counting'. When this happens, you will have a clarity of understanding that the wandering mind is incapable of experiencing.

At the end of this meditation, sit quietly for a minute or two until you readjust. Reflect on the past twenty minutes, on what you felt, on how you feel at the moment. You should have experienced a few moments of absolute calm. You should feel completely relaxed. You will also be aware of just how difficult it is to do only one thing at a time. You may be tempted to think you're not very good at this meditation business. However, distraction is very much a part of meditation. Everyone gets distracted. But if you spent the entire twenty minutes being distracted, it probably means that you weren't properly prepared. You have to develop a relaxed frame of mind before you begin, your meditation builds on that. If at any time you feel your meditation has been unsuccessful, it doesn't matter. Each meditation is unique; some live up to your expectation of good, some do not. The fact that you meditated at all makes it 'good'.

THE BREATHING MEDITATION
1) Prepare your environment. Check posture.
2) Close eyes, relax.
3) Focus on your breath entering and leaving your body.
4) Count breaths one to four, repeat.
5) Don't fight a wandering mind, but calmly direct it back to the task.
6) Sit for a minute afterwards.

You can repeat the Breathibg Meditation every morning and evening for at least a few days. Ideally, it should be for a month or so, unless you're impatient to get on with the Calm Technique. But bear in mind, if you decide you feel comfortable with this breathibg meditation, stay with it. Any meditation done consistently will work.

THE TECHNIQUE
The Calm Technique, like the Breathing Meditation, is a 'structured' meditation. This means there is a set procedure for you to follow, and it requires a moderate amount of determination and discipline to be successful. For many, the mere mention of the word 'discipline' brings with it visions of deprivation, hard work and sacrifice. It should be stressed that this is not the case with the Calm Technique. We have already learned that in this type of meditation you avoid concentration and extreme effort, because no amount of human determination by itself can produce such a natural and peaceful state as the Calm State.

-- This excerpt was taken from The Calm Technique by Paul Wilson