Dharma discussion on Saturday 9 April 2016

Thay taught 2 techniques that can help us maintain awareness of our breath.

The first technique is breath counting. We breathe in normally till the limit of our in-breath is reached and breathe out normally till the limit of our out-breath is reached. This process of inhalation and exhalation is counted as 1 breath. We count up to 10, and when we reach 10 counts we start counting from 1 again. We do not control our breathing; we let our breath takes its own course.  

The second technique is body scan. We scan from the top of our head down to our toes. As we scan each part of our body, e.g. eyes, ears, heart, kidneys, etc, we send thoughts of gratitude and appreciation to that part of our body. If any part of our body feels tense, we send thoughts of loving-kindness and compassion to that part, relieving the tension and stress. We do not need to rush through the scanning process; we scan at a pace comfortable to us.    

Namo Shayamunaye Buddhaya