Just watching the breath, miracles happen
Vipassana is one of the most ancient techniques of meditation. The literal meaning of the word Vipassana is “to look,” and the metaphorical meaning is “to watch, to witness or to see the things as they really are . Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through self-observation.
This is india’s most ancient technique of meditation discovered by Gautam Buddha more than 2500 years ago.So It is also called buddhist meditation or anapanasati yoga. He preaches that this is a universal remedy for universal ills. It focusses on deep connection between mind and body .
Vipassana is such a simple thing that even a small child can do it. In fact, the smallest child can do it better than you, because he is not yet filled with the garbage of the mind; he is still clean and innocent.
Types of Vipassana
Vipassana can be done in three ways. You can choose which one suits you the best:
1. Becoming aware of breathing.
2. Be aware of the breath at the entrance, when the breath goes in through your nostrils.
3. Awareness of your actions, your body, your mind, your heart.
Becoming aware of breathing
Coming across vipassana for the first time, one doubts whether it can be called a meditation at all. What is it? — no physical exercise, no breathing exercise; a very simple phenomenon: just watching your breath coming in, going out… finished, this is the method.
Sitting silently, watching your breath coming in, going out; not losing track, that’s all. Not that you have to change your breathing — it is not pranayam; it is not a breathing exercise where you have to take deep breaths, exhale, inhale, no. Let the breathing be simple, as it is. You just have to bring one new quality to it: awareness.
The breath goes out, watch; the breath comes in, watch. You will become aware.
Be aware of the breath at the entrance
when the breath goes in through your nostrils. Feel it at that extreme, the other polarity from the belly. The breath going in gives a certain coolness to your nostrils. Then the breath going out … breath going in, breath going out….
the breath touching your nostrils at one point, you will become aware. You can concentrate there: the breath comes in, you feel the touch of the breath on the nostrils; then it goes out, you feel the touch again. Remain there at the tip of the nose.
It is not that you have to concentrate at the tip of the nose; you have just to be alert, aware, watchful. It is not concentration. Don’t miss, just go on remembering. In the beginning you will miss again and again; then bring yourself back.
If it is difficult for you — for a few people it is difficult to watch it there — then they can watch the breath in the belly. When the breath goes in, the belly goes up; when the breath goes out, the belly goes in. You go on watching your belly. If you have a really good belly, it will help.
As the breath goes in, your belly starts rising up, and as the breath goes out, your belly starts settling down again. Just the very awareness of the belly rising and falling…
And the belly is very close to the life sources because the child is joined with the mother’s life through the navel. Behind the navel is his life’s source. So when the belly rises up, it is really the life energy, the spring of life that is rising up and falling down with each breath. As you become more aware of the belly, the mind becomes silent, the heart becomes silent, the moods disappear.
Awareness of your actions
You should be aware of your actions, your body, your mind, your heart. Walking, you should walk with awareness. Moving your hand, you should move with awareness, knowing perfectly that you are moving the hand. You can move it without any consciousness, like a mechanical thing. You are on a morning walk; you can go on walking without being aware of your feet.
Be alert of the movements of your body. While eating, be alert of the movements that are needed for eating. Taking a shower, be alert of the coolness that is coming to you, the water falling on you and the tremendous joy of it…. Just be alert. It should not go on happening in an unconscious state.
And the same about your mind: whatever thought passes on the screen of your mind, just be a watcher. Whatever emotion passes on the screen of your heart, just remain a witness — don’t get involved, don’t get identified, don’t evaluate what is good, what is bad; that is not part of your meditation. Your meditation has to be choice less awareness.
You will be able one day even to see very subtle moods: how sadness settles in you just like the night is slowly, slowly settling around the world, how suddenly a small thing makes you joyous.
These are the three forms. Any one will do. And if you want to do two forms together, you can do two forms together; then the effort will become more intense. If you want to do all three forms together, you can do all three forms together. Then the process will be quicker. But it all depends on you, whatever feels easy.
Remember: easy is right.
Learn Vipassana Meditation in English
Learn Vipassana Meditation in Hindi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF0Z1RVT8As