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Holding the Breath Like Cradling a Small Baby
Every time we open the door to our room, the meditation hall, or the kitchen, it is an opportunity to practice mindfulness with the gatha for opening the door, helping us return to our true mind, mindfulness, concentration, and insight. When entering the meditation hall, we walk gently as if stepping into the Pure Land, maintaining each breath, a gentle smile, and showing respect to the Sangha through the gesture of bowing on our knees. Before sitting, we recite the gatha:
Sitting here is sitting under the Bodhi tree,
firm in body, mindful, never distracted.
Then we adjust our posture (regulating the body) to sit in half-lotus or full-lotus position, creating a stable “three-legged stool” foundation: both knees touching the floor, sitting bones resting on the cushion, spine straight.
The lotus posture brings peace and stability, and at the same time, we smile to our body to relax each muscle. A gentle smile dissolves tension on the face, relaxes the whole body, and expresses love for our body as a mother cradles her child. When the body is at ease, the energy of mindfulness and compassion combine, body and mind are in harmony, and all tension gradually melts away.
We practice Anapanasati – mindfulness of breathing in and out – in the order of:
- regulating the body
- regulating the breath (breathing in, I know I am breathing in; breathing out, I know I am breathing out)
- regulating the mind
- calming bodily formations
The breath is silent, gentle like a stream of water, a bridge connecting body and mind. From the third breath, we recognize bodily formations – “breathing in, I am aware of my body” – and with the fourth breath, we calm bodily formations with the energy of compassion from the Buddhas of the ten directions. Each breath is a miracle of life, inviting us to cherish and embrace body and mind like the vast ocean of boundless love.
