Breathing Mindfulness Meditation in Buddhism: How to Practice Mindfulness of Breathing
- David Roylance
- 8 hours ago
- 12 min read
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is a practice taught by The Buddha to actively train the mind. This meditation is also known as mindfulness of breathing.
Meditation is not simply sitting quietly, relaxing, walking the dog, gardening, listening to music, watching a sunset, or participating in another activity.
Meditation is a dedicated, independent, and purposeful training session to eliminate unwholesome qualities of the mind and/or cultivate wholesome qualities of the mind in the seated, lying, standing, or walking position.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation trains the mind to develop mindfulness (awareness of mind), concentration, and the ability to “let go” of thoughts rather than cling or attach to thoughts, emotions, ideas, perceptions, situations, relationships, past experiences, or future expectations.
The breath is used as an anchor to bring the mind into the present moment.
Through repeated meditation sessions, the mind gradually becomes more skilled at recognizing mental activity, letting it go, and returning to the present moment.
This training is then carried into everyday life.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation: Practice
Choose a comfortable meditation position
Close the eyes
Develop a natural, steady, and consistent breath through the nose
Use the breath as the anchor for the mind
Whenever a thought arises, let it go and return the mind to the breath.
The complete practice and explanation are provided below.
Table of Contents
What Is Breathing Mindfulness Meditation?
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation helps train the mind to eliminate craving by learning how to “cut off thoughts” while developing mindfulness.
The goal of the practice is to develop Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration while training the mind not to cling or attach, thereby eliminating craving/desire/attachment from the mind.
The Buddha described Mindfulness of Breathing (Breathing Mindfulness Meditation) as a practice that should be developed to “cut off thoughts.”
This does not mean that thoughts will never exist.
Thoughts, ideas, memories, perceptions, and plans will continue to be available to the mind. The problem occurs when the mind becomes attached to these things.
The purpose of the training is to recognize thoughts without holding onto them.
You can think of this as “letting go of the thoughts.”
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation trains the mind to be present, content, and increasingly free from craving/desire/attachment.
How to Practice Breathing Mindfulness Meditation
Once you have chosen a comfortable position, you can begin Breathing Mindfulness Meditation.
1. Close the Eyes
Get comfortable in the position you have chosen (seated, lying, or standing) and close the eyes.
2. Allow the Breath to Be Natural
Develop a natural breath in through the nose and out through the nose.
The breath should be:
natural,
steady,
consistent,
gradual, and
not rapid or forced.
Become fully aware of the inhale and exhale.
This does not mean to breathe how you currently breathe. Instead, the Practitioner will need to develop the breath to be steady, consistent, and gradual.
3. Use the Breath as the Anchor
Allow the breath to become the anchor for the mind.
You can place awareness on the sound of the breath or the sensation of the breath as it moves over the skin and into the nose.
The breath provides the mind with a fixed position in the present moment.
The breath is the present moment.
4. Focus on the Breath Rather Than Thoughts
As you focus on the breath, thoughts will arise.
When a thought appears, do not follow it.
Do not attempt to understand why the thought appeared.
Do not evaluate it.
Do not analyze it.
Do not judge it in any way.
Let it go and return the mind to the breath.
If the mind has wandered for several moments before you recognize what has occurred, simply become aware of it and return to the breath.
The breath remains the anchor.
Four Positions for Meditation
The Buddha provided four positions for meditation:
1. Seated
2. Lying
3. Standing
4. Walking
These different positions can be used interchangeably depending on the needs of the body and mind.
You would be wise not to become attached to one meditation position.
The goal of meditation is to train the mind, not the body.
The meditation position should therefore be comfortable but not luxurious nor painful. Different positions can be used at different times, and the position that works for you today may need to change as the body changes throughout life.
Starting with the Seated Position
It is common to begin learning meditation using the seated position.
You can sit on the floor, on a chair, on a bench, in a wheelchair, or somewhere else that comfortably supports the lower body.
If sitting on the floor causes significant pain, there is no reason to force the body into that position.
If the mind is continually focused on bodily pain, it will be difficult to train the mind.
Find a position that is comfortable but not luxurious nor painful.
The upper body should be supported by your own strength when possible without slouching or becoming excessively rigid.
The goal is to find the “middle” where the body is supported and comfortable and allows for a natural, steady, and consistent breath.
The hands and arms should also remain relaxed and comfortable.
The Buddha placed his right hand over his left hand with the thumbs touching. You could use this position if it works for you.
Other options include placing the hands in your lap or on the knees.
There is no need to become attached to one specific hand position.
The important point is that the body is comfortable enough that you can focus on training the mind.
Why Is Breathing Mindfulness Meditation Important?
Meditation is the foundation of a life practice that trains the mind.
The mind needs continual training in order to develop mental discipline.
Without a stable meditation practice, the mind can continually become “tipped over” by discontent feelings such as sadness, anger, frustration, irritation, annoyance, guilt, shame, fear, loneliness, jealousy, resentment, stress, and anxiety.
The Buddha explained this using the example that “a pot without a stand is easy to tip over.”
The mind is the pot.
The meditation practice is the stand.
With consistent meditation practice, the “stand” becomes wider and the "pot" is more difficult to tip over.
A mind without a meditation practice is easy to tip over. But conversely, a steady and consistent meditation practice helps provide the mental training and discipline needed to keep the mind stable.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is described as the foundation of the practice and should be developed as the primary meditation practiced daily.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation and Craving
The unEnlightened mind continually experiences craving/desire/attachment.
Craving is mental longing for something with a strong eagerness.
The mind becomes attached to people, relationships, possessions, thoughts, ideas, feelings, situations, past experiences, and future expectations.
Craving/desire/attachment is the cause of all discontent feelings such as sadness, anger, frustration, and others. The mind needs to be trained to “let go” in order to experience peace and joy - the Enlightened mental state.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation trains the mind in the opposite direction.
Instead of holding on, let go.
Instead of following every thought, return to the breath.
Instead of continually dwelling in the past or anticipating the future, bring the mind into the present moment.
The practice trains the mind not to crave and not to cling.
As this training develops during repeated meditation sessions, the Practitioner can then practice non-craving throughout daily life.
What Does “Cutting Off Thoughts” Mean?
“Cutting off thoughts” does not mean eliminating the mind's ability to think.
It means training the mind not to hold onto thoughts.
A thought arises.
The mind becomes aware of it.
The Practitioner lets it go.
The mind returns to the breath.
Through repeating this practice again and again, the mind learns not to cling.
Over time, a well-trained mind can experience fewer thoughts during meditation with longer periods of quietness and stillness between thoughts.
When an occasional thought appears, the mind can recognize it, let it go, and return to the breath.
The goal is not to eliminate thoughts but instead to notice them sooner and let them go more easily. You will have thoughts during meditation; even Enlightened beings have thoughts during meditation.
Learning to “Let Go”
One of the significant benefits of Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is training the mind to “let go” with ease.
During the early stages of meditation, a thought might arise and the mind may follow it for some time before becoming aware that it has left the breath.
With repeated training, mindfulness develops.
The mind becomes aware sooner.
The Practitioner becomes increasingly capable of recognizing mental activity and letting it go without becoming attached to it.
This training during meditation becomes useful during everyday life.
When an unwholesome thought, idea, emotion, or feeling arises during daily life, the mind has practiced what to do:
Become aware of it.
Do not attach to it.
Let it go.
Through a well-developed practice, the mind becomes increasingly skilled at “cutting off” unwholesome mental activity to then apply this skill in daily life.
During Breathing Mindfulness Meditation, a Practitioner is developing an internal mechanism within the mind to be able to “cut off and let go”. This is then applied in daily life to eliminate the mind’s cravings/desires/attachments that are producing discontentedness so that the mind can eliminate the underlying cause of discontentedness.
Do Not Analyze Thoughts During Meditation
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is not the time to sit and investigate every thought that enters the mind.
You are training the mind not to attach.
Therefore, when thoughts or feelings arise, do not analyze what is occurring.
Let everything go and return the mind to the breath.
Through this practice, you are training the mind not to crave and not to cling.
Repeated training during meditation makes this same skill increasingly available during everyday life.
Learning to Be Content with Nothing
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation also trains the mind to be content with nothing, emptiness, and being alone without needing constant external stimulation.
This is important because the unEnlightened mind is often continually looking for something.
Something to do.
Something to think about.
Something to obtain.
Someone to interact with.
Something in the past.
Something in the future.
During Breathing Mindfulness Meditation, you sit quietly with the breath and learn not to cling to what the mind produces.
Thoughts and emotions can arise without needing to disturb the mind.
Through training, the mind learns that it can simply reside peacefully and contentedly without needing to obtain something else.
How Long Should You Meditate?
Your meditation practice should develop gradually.
You do not need to immediately meditate for long periods.
If you initially meditate for only several minutes, you can start there and gradually increase the length of your sessions over days, weeks, and months.
Meditation sessions of approximately thirty minutes or longer can produce significant benefits, but a Practitioner should gradually build toward this practice.
Over time, you may develop toward two or three meditation sessions each day, perhaps morning, midday, and evening of thirty minutes per session.
But do not become attached to a specific schedule or put pressure on yourself to be able to meditate for this amount of time or frequency.
The amount of time you meditate is less important than the results being developed in the mind.
You will notice that frequency is more important than duration. If it is a choice between one thirty-minute meditation session or two fifteen-minute meditation sessions, two fifteen-minute sessions will be more beneficial. Then, gradually work toward extending those fifteen-minute sessions to thirty minutes. This may take six to twenty-four months, or even longer, depending on the Practitioner's level of determination, dedication, and diligence.
It is also best not to continually compare the length of your meditation sessions with yourself or with other Practitioners.
The goal is not to take pride in how long you can sit.
The goal is to train the mind.
A consistent practice sustained over time is more important than becoming overly concerned with the length of an individual meditation session.
Do You Need a Meditation Timer?
It is best not to become attached to a timer or alarm during meditation.
An alarm can cause the mind to anticipate when the meditation session will finish.
Or, the mind may become deeply settled into the meditation and then be interrupted by an alarm.
When circumstances allow, simply meditate without being overly concerned about the time.
There may be situations when an alarm is needed. If so, use one.
But when an alarm is not needed, allowing the meditation session to develop naturally can help the mind settle more deeply into the practice.
To know how long you have meditated, look at the clock before and after meditation. Do the math and you will know how long you meditated. You might consider checking in on the timing of your meditation sessions about once per week.
What If You Become Sleepy?
Sleepiness during meditation can occur.
If the mind continually becomes sleepy, the body or mind may simply need additional rest, so get some rest.
You can also experiment with meditation at different times of the day.
Morning, midday, and evening may affect the mind differently.
Changing meditation positions can also be helpful.
If the mind becomes sleepy while sitting or lying down, you could change to the standing or walking position to maintain an attentive and alert mind.
What About Physical Sensations?
During meditation, the mind may become aware of physical sensations throughout the body.
These sensations arise and then cease to exist.
Rather than immediately reacting to every sensation, train the mind not to become attached to it.
When possible, resist the immediate urge to scratch, touch, or otherwise react to a sensation.
Observe that bodily sensations are impermanent.
Allow them to exist and then cease to exist without allowing them to control the mind or disrupt the meditation practice.
If you are unable to restrain the urge and need to scratch the body, go ahead. During future meditation sessions, gradually increase the amount of time between noticing the sensation and reacting to it. Over time, the mind can be trained not to be disturbed by the impermanent nature of bodily sensations. The sensation will arise, change, and fade away because it is impermanent.
Developing a Consistent Daily Practice
The benefits of meditation accumulate through repeated practice.
Each meditation session contributes to the continued training of the mind.
Therefore, the priority is not one extraordinary meditation session.
The priority is developing a consistent practice over time.
The meditation schedule can change.
The length of sessions can change.
The position can change.
Your circumstances can change.
But continue developing the practice.
A Practitioner should eventually become capable of meditating in different places and different situations rather than becoming attached to one specific meditation environment.
Meditation Is Training for Everyday Life
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation does not end when the meditation session ends.
The purpose of training the mind during meditation is to improve how the mind functions throughout daily life.
During meditation, you repeatedly practice:
becoming aware,
letting go,
and
returning to the present moment.
Then, throughout daily life, continue practicing mindfulness or awareness of mind by looking over the mind to eliminate unwholesome qualities and encourage wholesome qualities by applying Right Effort from The Eight Fold Path.
When you are walking, sitting, communicating with others, working, or participating in normal daily activities, observe the condition of the mind.
Do not attach to thoughts, ideas, perceptions, emotions, or situations.
Maintain awareness.
Practice concentration.
Practice non-craving.
Dedicated meditation sessions train the mind so that these same skills can be used throughout the remainder of the day.
What Results Should You Observe?
The Teachings of The Buddha are not intended to simply be believed.
You practice and independently observe whether the training produces results.
After Breathing Mindfulness Meditation, a Practitioner may observe increased:
calmness,
peacefulness,
mindfulness,
concentration, and
stability of mind.
It may take several attempts before these results become noticeable.
The practice develops gradually.
Once a consistent Breathing Mindfulness Meditation practice has been established, a Practitioner can gradually develop other forms of meditation, including Loving-kindness Meditation.
The goal is then to carry this calm, steady, and stable mind throughout the remainder of the day while continuing to practice all The Teachings in daily life.
Meditation Alone Will Not Produce Enlightenment
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is an essential practice, but meditation by itself is not the entire Path to Enlightenment.
You cannot meditate your way to Enlightenment while ignoring the remainder of The Teachings.
Likewise, you would not be able to attain Enlightenment without meditation.
Meditation needs to exist within a complete life practice.
The Four Noble Truths provide the foundation for understanding discontentedness, its cause, its elimination, and The Path leading to its elimination.
A Practitioner needs to learn and practice the entire Eight Fold Path along with the other Teachings that guide the mind toward Enlightenment.
Meditation provides the training.
Your daily life provides the opportunity to implement that training.
Peacefulness and calmness are not produced by meditation alone. Meditation trains the mind to cultivate qualities that are then practiced throughout daily life. It is through eliminating craving/desire/attachment and practicing the entire Eight Fold Path that the Practitioner develops the permanent peacefulness and joy they aspire to experience.
It is important not to judge your meditation sessions as good or bad but instead, understand that all meditation is helpful and beneficial. Even if the mind is extremely busy, that was a beneficial meditation session because the Practitioner is now aware of the mind and has cultivated mindfulness.
Judging your meditation sessions as good or bad can become discouraging and lead to complacency.
Begin Where You Are
You do not need to wait for perfect circumstances.
Choose a comfortable meditation position.
Close the eyes.
Develop the breath to become natural, steady, and consistent.
Breathe in through the nose.
Breathe out through the nose.
Become aware of the breath.
Fixate the mind on the breath so that it becomes the anchor, a post, or pillar.
When a thought arises, let it go.
Return to the breath.
When another thought arises, let it go.
Return to the breath.
Continue training.
Do not become discouraged when the mind wanders.
Do not become attached to the length of the meditation session.
Do not become attached to a particular position.
Simply continue to develop and cultivate the practice.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is training the mind to become aware, concentrated, present, and increasingly skilled at letting go.
Through dedicated and consistent practice, the mind can gradually become more peaceful, calm, steady, stable, content and joyful.
And when the meditation session is complete, stand up and continue the entire life practice by bringing the qualities of meditation into your daily life.
Maintain awareness of mind.
Practice non-craving.
Let go.
Continue walking The Path to Enlightenment.
For a broader understanding of how meditation fits within the complete practice, read The Teachings of The Buddha: A Beginner’s Guide to The Path to Enlightenment.
David Roylance is a dedicated Practitioner, Teacher, and published author who has taught The Teachings of The Buddha since 2005. Based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, he guides Household and Ordained Practitioners worldwide through courses, retreats, and special events on The Path to Enlightenment.
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