Anapana Practice: The Very Short Version

No explanations, no examples, no illustrations, no encouragement – just the Sixteen Steps and a little guidance.

Please don't rush your practice. What matters is not how quickly we can work through the steps. What matters is how deeply we can experience each one.

Developing a Powerful Sense of Well-being: Steps 1 to 6

Getting ready to practise

Find or create a place and a time where you can be comfortable, private, and uninterrupted.

Choose a chair which will support a straight back.

Sitting

Sit, in a balanced and comfortable position.

Let the eyes gently close. Become aware of your environment. Hear the silence, or hear any sounds. Just hear, without getting involved in what you hear. Take time to hear all the sounds, dispassionately.

If it helps to stay focussed, think, "Just Hearing".

Step 1. When breathing in a deep breath one knows, "I'm breathing in a deep breath;"
when breathing out a deep breath one knows, "I'm breathing out a deep breath."

Step 2. When breathing in a shallow breath one knows, "I'm breathing in a shallow breath;"
when breathing out a shallow breath one knows, "I'm breathing out a shallow breath."

Continue to hear the sounds or the silence.

Become aware of your breathing, of each breath, of the pauses between the breaths.

Notice when your breathing is deeper, and when it's shallower. The pattern may change, it may become more shallow. Sometimes one breath may be deeper than others. Simply be aware, and notice that, but don't change it.

If distracting thoughts arise, just let them go and focus on hearing and breathing again.

Thoughts that help guide the practice are OK. So, if it helps, think, "Just Hearing, and Knowing each breath."

Step 3. One trains oneself, "Experiencing the whole body I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Experiencing the whole body I'll breathe out."

Continue to hear the sounds or the silence. Continue to know each breath.

Be aware of your posture, sitting.

Be aware of the body's whole extent. It's one body, from head to feet, from side to side, from front to back.

Be aware of the rising and falling of the chest as you breathe in and out.

Develop a single three-fold awareness of hearing, of knowing each breath, and of experiencing the whole body.

If it helps, you could think, "This whole body, sitting, breathing, hearing."

Step 4. One trains oneself, "Stilling reactive movements of body I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Stilling reactive movements of body I'll breathe out."

Continue to sit, hearing, knowing each breath, aware of your whole body, in a single three-fold awareness.

Be like a great tree, deeply rooted, rising straight, majestic, unmoved.
Yet be relaxed, let any stress or tension drain away, into the chair, into the floor.
Sit, until you feel a great stillness pervading your body, until you have no desire to move.
Don't force yourself to sit still. Let the stillness arise from your three-fold awareness and posture.
If you need to adjust the position of any part, do so slowly, then be still again.

If it helps, think, "This whole body, sitting, hearing, knowing each breath. This whole body, its full extent, and its stillness."

Step 5. One trains oneself, "Experiencing an enhanced body-sensitivity I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Experiencing an enhanced body-sensitivity I'll breathe out."

As you sit, aware of the whole body and its stillness, you may feel some parts of the body becoming more sensitive, feeling more alive, more conspicuous than other parts – or you may not.

Continue to sit, hearing, knowing each breath, aware of the whole body and its stillness.

To develop the enhanced body-sensitivity, you may find it helpful to do the "expanding body scan".

Once you feel the enhanced sensitivity throughout the body, it will become self-sustaining for as long as you maintain the full body-awareness and sensitivity of Steps 3 and 4.

Step 6. One trains oneself, "Experiencing well-being I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Experiencing well-being I'll breathe out."

Continue to sit, hearing, knowing each breath, experiencing the whole body, its stillness and its enhanced sensitivity.

Simply enjoy this experience. Smile to the enhanced sensitivity. Relax. Feel the ease, the comfort.

If it helps, think, "Experiencing an enhanced body-sensitivity. Experiencing well-being."

Facing, Stilling and Healing our Reactivity: Steps 7 to 12

Step 7. One trains oneself, "Experiencing reactive movements of heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Experiencing reactive movements of heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

Continue to hear, to know each breath, to experience the whole body, with its stillness, its enhanced sensitivity, and to enjoy the sense of well-being pervading it.

Now, what are those issues that keep generating thoughts in your mind?
Or, is there still some continuing discomfort in the body, that seems to have no physical cause?
What is it that's disturbing you at this time and creating reactions in you?

Can you hold together both the well-being (with all that supports it), and that issue that disturbs you so? Experience both, together. Wrap your reactivity to that issue in the warmth and comfort of your well-being.

Step 8. One trains oneself, "Stilling reactive movements of heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Stilling reactive movements of heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

Continue to experience both your reactivity, and the enhanced sensitivity and well-being that you have generated. As you do so, the reactivity will begin to fade and die away. You will begin to view that issue with greater dispassion (or equanimity).

Sit in this place, experiencing the stillness of the body, and a growing stillness of heart-and-mind. You will still be able to think. You'll be able to guide yourself through the practice, and use the well-being to still whatever issues arise in your mind. But your thinking about those issues will change. Seeing them with dispassion you may begin to see them from other points of view. You may begin to accept some of the issues in your life in a new way.

Step 9. One trains oneself, "Experiencing heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Experiencing heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

Continue to inhabit this place, to know each breath, and to experience the whole body. The enhanced body-sensitivity will begin to fade, but be aware of it while it continues. The well-being will continue. Continue to sense it and relax into it.

Continue to experience heart-and-mind, now free from any reactivity.

If any reactivity does arise, go back to Step 7, experience it, bring it to stillness, then come back here again.

When thoughts or memories arise you may find your feelings and thinking towards those things have changed. Notice if any greater understanding, compassion, generosity, ability to forgive, etc. arise.

Otherwise, the practice now is one of "Just Sitting", in the stillness of Step 4, and the quietness of Step 8.

Step 10. One trains oneself, "Gladdening heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Gladdening heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

Step 11. One trains oneself, "Composing heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Composing heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

Step 12. One trains oneself, "Liberating heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Liberating heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

You may notice one or more of these steps occurring simultaneously with Step 9. The heart may feel contented, glad, this is a good place to be (Step 10).

The mind may be more composed. Whatever issues may arise, the whole heart-and-mind is available to hold and respond to them, with dispassion (Step 11).

You will be free from your usual mental addictions: to pleasure or enjoyment, to self-seeking, to needing to win, and so on (Step 12).

Sit, until you sense, "enough is enough for now." This stage will be healing all your reactivity, not just specific issues.

Then open your eyes, stretch if you like, and then move on to what life holds next.

Living a Non-reactive Life: Steps 13 to 16

Step 13. One trains oneself, "Observing change I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "observing change I'll breathe out."

Step 14. One trains oneself, "Observing dispassion I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Observing dispassion I'll breathe out."

During your practice, simultaneously with Step 9, if any thoughts, memories or anticipations of significant change in life arise, notice how you respond to them. Do you find a new-found dispassion towards that change?

As you go through life, after your practice has ended, notice whatever changes you experience, and how you respond to them. Does the old, habitual reactivity arise, or do you discover a new-found dispassion is present?

Step 15. One trains oneself, "Observing endings I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Observing endings I'll breathe out."

Step 16. One trains oneself, "Observing letting-go I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Observing letting-go I'll breathe out."

During your practice, simultaneously with Step 9, if any thoughts, memories or anticipations of significant loss or of endings in life arise, notice how you respond to them. Do you find a new-found ability to let go of what has ended or been lost?

As you go through life, after your practice has ended, notice whatever experiences of loss or ending occur, and how you respond to them. Does the old, habitual reactivity arise, or do you discover a new-found ability is present to let go of what has ended or been lost?