{"id":1068,"date":"2011-03-14T12:44:59","date_gmt":"2011-03-14T16:44:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=1068"},"modified":"2011-11-18T22:56:21","modified_gmt":"2011-11-19T03:56:21","slug":"method-to-improve-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=1068","title":{"rendered":"Method to Improve Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Counting-Breath Method <\/strong>\u6570\u606f\u6cd5<\/strong><\/span> <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Kevin W Chen, Ph.D. MPH<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Counting breath has long been a method used in meditation training. It appeared in Chinese literature as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty (25\u2014220AD), when Buddhism was introduced to China. The famous Buddhist classic The Wisdom and Contemplation Sutra or An Ban Shou Yi Jing<\/em> in Chinese (\u5b89\u822c\u5b88\u610f\u7ecf)[1], discussed prolonged and intense contemplation, which played an essential role in cultivating oneself in Buddhism. Under the guidance of Buddhist doctrine, the practitioner\u2019s mind was to be fixed in contemplation or meditation.\u00a0 The phrase \u201cAnban Shouyi\u201d (\u5b89\u822c\u5b88\u610f) literally means entering the state of Dhyana (Sanskrit term for mental focus) and Samadhi (Sanskrit: mystical unity) by counting one\u2019s breaths. \u00a0Two techniques of Zen (\u201cChan\u201d in Chinese) meditation are presented in this sutra. \u00a0The first is generally called \u00a0\u201ccounting one\u2019s breath\u201d and includes \u201cthe mind follows the breath, ceasing counting to reflect inwardly, and returning to purity \u2026\u201d, — all of these may be considered the foundation of Buddhist practices such as \u201cSix Marvelous Methods\u201d (Liu Miao Fa, \u516d\u5999\u6cd5) and Breath-counting Contemplation (Shuxi Guan Pai, \u6570\u606f\u89c2\u6d3e).<\/p>\n

When I introduced qigong meditation to the patients of drug addiction, I heard many of them saying \u201cmeditation is not for me as I cannot sit still for one minute.\u201d\u00a0 I realized that counting-breath method could be a very effective way to get them in a meditative mood, and boost their quality of awareness.\u00a0 Here I would like to share it with you, and to see if it may help your meditation as well.<\/p>\n

For many beginners, sitting down to meditate for 10 to 15 minutes could be a very frustrating or challenging experience since they have great difficulty calming their minds.\u00a0 However, it is much easier to get them to do slow abdominal breathing exercises on a daily basis, since everyone has to breathe anyway.\u00a0 One of the key components in my Integrative Meditation (IM) is belly breathing at the near resonance frequency (RF<\/strong>), also known as heart rate variability biofeedback,<\/p>\n

The human cardiovascular system is known to have resonance characteristics, with the first RF at ~0.1 Hz or about 6 cycles\/minute.[2, 3]\u00a0 RF varies between 5 and 7 cycles per minute, probably depending on blood volume.[3, 4]\u00a0 RF breathing stimulates the cardiovascular system to oscillate at that frequency at a very high amplitude and greatly stimulates the baroreflect system.[5, 6]\u00a0 RF breathing is known to affect depression and stress symptoms as well as various somatic disease states.[7, 8].\u00a0 I believe that including near RF breathing at the beginning of meditation training will make meditation easier and more feasible, and produce immediate physical and mental benefits for practitioners since clinical studies reveal that breathing at RF has therapeutic effects on asthma, hypertension, panic attacks, fibromyalgia, and major depression.[5,8] \u00a0Therefore, the first thing I do with my addiction patients is teach them to practice belly breathing, after showing them how beneficial it is to breathe slowly and deeply.<\/p>\n

Study participants either get a MP4 player from me that includes a breathing instruction program (breathing at 6 times per minutes, or 10 seconds per nhale\/exhale cycle) or download the EZ-Air program from www.bfe.org<\/a>, set to 6 bpm. They use these materials to practice belly breathing everyday. In addition, I instruct them to make slow belly breathing a habit, to do it whenever possible, and to track how long they can practice each time without interruption.<\/p>\n

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Here is a sample video to breath at near resonance frequency for you to start.<\/p>\n

Benefits of Counting Breaths<\/strong><\/p>\n

Counting breath is a very easy and effective way to start meditation training, as one can do it anytime and anywhere.<\/p>\n

The ideal count is about 10 seconds per breathing cycle, which is near the resonance frequency of your body and will help tune up your autonomic nervous system\u2026\u00a0 By counting your slow belly breathing, you will achieve multiple benefits at the same time:<\/p>\n