Counting the Breath

People who are new to meditation frequently comment on how beneficial the structure of counting the breath is. It is one of the most helpful tips to prevent your mind from wandering in meditation. However, it is not simply a beginner's meditation, but one that can benefit us throughout our lives and help us acquire more focus and clarity.

Focus your attention on your breathing as you inhale and exhale once you're sitting comfortably straight and have removed as many external distractions as possible. Counting breath cycles can be quite beneficial for beginners. At the end of each exhalation, count to ten. For example, count one cycle of inhalation and exhalation as one, the next as two, and so on up to ten cycles. When you've counted to ten, start counting one breath cycle at a time. Don't try to control or time your breathing; simply let it come and go at its own pace. There are no "right" or "wrong" or "appropriate" breathing practices in the sense that you're doing your best to relax and remain aware, one breath at a time, rather than forcing or changing your breathing. Simply be aware of any distracting thoughts you have and return your attention to your breathing.

We will find that we rarely, if ever, reach the number 10 without our minds wandering. This can be unsettling — after all, how difficult can it be to count to ten? The goal of meditation, on the other hand, is to improve our ability to bring our minds back to concentration repeatedly, much like lifting weights in the gym. The trick is not to be irritated with ourselves for not getting it right but to gently and patiently return to counting our breaths.