Short Breathing Meditation I (with phrase)

Get in the flow of peace with this short mindful meditation, elevate your spirit. Learn how to change your state of being with simple ways of returning to what has heart and meaning for you. This short meditation can be done several times a day, no matter where you are. No one needs to know that you are taking a secret break and returning to your essential self while you are in a meeting or waiting on a customer. Practically, this practice is an internal stress reduction method; and for those times of external stress over which we have little control, this practice increases our ability to tolerate distress. This type of meditation uses a repetitive short phrase or mantra that you, yourself, choose. Choosing a phrase that elevates your spirit with the core qualities of trust, hope, love or compassion, strength, etc. is important. It must be something that is meaningful to you. Maybe the source of the phrase is something your grandfather said, or you heard in a group, or read in a book, or a scripture or a prayer. For our purposes here today, we will use the reflection below taken from Dogen, a 12th century Buddhist teacher, and from Buddhist Metta mediation.

WHAT TO DO

1. Read the reflection below out loud two times. Choose a short phrase from it that has heart and meaning for you.

2. Begin by taking a deep belly breath all the way to the pelvic floor, counting to seven on inhalation, seven on the exhalation (3x)

3. Return to your normal breathing pattern, aligning your chosen phrase with your breath, quietly repeating it for a minimum of 2 minutes or as long as you like.

REFLECTION

Waking up all night long. Feeling something, someone needs prayer. Quiet my mind. Metta.

Dogen’s disciple, Koun Ejo, said,

“Just sit as if you were the boundless, empty sky or a ball of fire.

Trusting everything to inhalation and exhalation.

Even if eighty-four-thousand deluded thoughts arise,

each and every one may become the Light of Wisdom

if you do not pay attention to them and simply let them go.”*

May all beings including myself be free of suffering.

May all beings from the least to the greatest abide in deep peace.

May all beings including myself be filled with joy.

May all beings from the most recently born to the most ancient abide in deep peace.

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*Shikantaza: An Introduction to Zazen, edited and translated by Shohaku Okumura Kyoto Soto-Zen Center, 1985. Translations of Dogen (1200 – 1253)

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