THE FOUR PRELIMINARY EXERCISES

We will discuss the Breath awareness we talked about in Buddha Sutra on the full awareness of breath.

THE FOUR PRELIMINARY EXERCISES

1. Breathing in I know I am breathing in, Breathing out I know I am breathing out

2. Breathing in a long breath I know I am breathing a long breath. Breathing out a long breath, I know I am breathing out a long breath.

3. Breathing in a short breath, I know I am breathing in a short breath, Breathing out a short breath know I am breathing out a short breath.

4. Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body. Breathing out, I am aware of my whole body.

The first four exercises of fully aware breathing help us return to our body in order to look deeply at it and care for it. In our daily lives, it is important that we learn create harmony and ease in our body, and to reunite body and mind. Buddha never taught us to mistreat or oppress our bodies.

In exercises one and two, the object of awareness is our breath itself. Our mind is the subject, and our breathing is the object. Our breath may be short, long, heavy or light. Practicing awareness in this way, we see that our breathing affects our mind, and our mind affects our breathing. Our mind and breath become one. We also see that breathing is an aspect of the body and that awareness of breathing is also awareness of the body.

In the third exercise, the breath is connected with the whole body, not just a part of it. Awareness of breathing is, at the same time, awareness of our entire body. Our mind, our breath, and our whole body are one.

In the fourth breathing exercise, our body's functions begin to calm down. Calming the breath is accompanied by calming the mind and the body. Our mind, our breathing, and our body are calmed down equally.

In these four exercises, we can realize the oneness of the body and mind. Breathing is an excellent tool for establishing calmness and evenness.