Meditation Instructions

Meditation Instructions

Here is my contemplative guide to practicing mindfulness meditation (Zen/Vipassana).

I. Preparation

• Posture: Sit upright yet relaxed, either on a cushion or chair.
• Hands: Hands in the lap, the right hand rests atop the left, palms facing upward. Thumbs may gently touch, forming a soft oval.
• Eyes: Gently close them to turn attention inward. Head straight with slight downward angle.
• Intention: Begin with a quiet resolve to observe without judgment, cultivating awareness and clarity.

II. Breath Practice

• Focus: Anchor your attention at the tip of the nose or just inside the nostrils—where the breath is most distinctly felt.
• Observe the in-breath: notice the sensation of the in-breath: the coolness, the subtle pressure, or the movement of air. Notice the sensation of the out-breath: the warmness, pressure, and movement.
• Do not follow the breath into the body. Stay with the tactile sensation at the nostrils.
• Let the breath be natural: No need to control it—just receive it.

III. Labeling Practice

Use gentle mental notes to name your experience without analysis:

• As the breath enters, silently label: “in”. And as breath exists, silently label: “out”.
• If the mind wanders, silently and gently label it:
  • “thinking, thinking”
  • “hearing, hearing”
  • “planning, planning”
  • “feeling, feeling”
• After labeling, gently return to the breath at the nostrils.
• Keep labels simple and consistent.

IV. Insight Practice

Once your attention is steady:

• Observe impermanence: Each breath arises and passes away. Notice the changing nature of sensation.
• Watch thoughts and distractions: When the mind wanders, gently return to the breath. This act of returning is itself insight.
• Notice the three marks of existence:
  1. Impermanence (Anicca):: Sensations shift moment to moment.
  2. Unsatisfactoriness (Dukkha): Even pleasant sensations fade.
  3. Non-entity (Anatta): The breath is happening, but it is not solid. All is an event, a flow of becoming. Notice The intangibility of all things.

V. Tips for Deepening Practice

• If the breath becomes subtle, stay with the feeling of space at the nostrils.
• Drop the labeling of the in and out breath when the mind becomes focused.
• Allow awareness to expand naturally, but always return to the breath as your anchor.