Meditation March 2023: Upper 4 Limbs of Yoga – Breath-Focused Meditation

by Tarryn Tyler - Daily Yogiposted in 5-8—Upper Limbs of Yoga, Meditation

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Happy Meditation March 31, 2023 – Breath-Focused Meditation

Good morning Yogis! We are featuring a few of my favorite Upper Limbs meditation practices wrapping up a special bonus daily meditation month. Tomorrow we will restart our practices inspired by the 8 Limbs of Yoga and our bonus daily Asana challenge April.

close-up cool perspective of dark green glass reflective art - upper limbs of yoga breath breathing meditation Quote: Breathing meditation can quiet the mind, open the body, and develop a great power of concentration. - Jack Kornfield
Breathing meditation can quiet the mind, open the body, and develop a great power of concentration. – Jack Kornfield

Today’s Positive Practice suggestion

Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to try the traditional Breath-Focused Meditation Practice. This traditional meditation method is supposed to bring you to Samadhi – from Dharana and into Dhyana. Meditation (particularly on my own with breathing and not a guided meditation or Dharana practice) has always been difficult for me personally, with my “monkey mind” but these methods below have worked for me!

Start sitting in a comfortable cross-legged position. Try to find a quiet, comfortable space. Relax and focus on your breath. Allow your belly to expand on each inhale, and contract to empty your lungs fully on each exhale. (Check our Pranayama section for more detail on diaphragmatic breathing).

Notice any outside distractions such as wind or noises from the street, and try to allow them to fade into the background as you calmly turn your focus inwards. Notice any inside distractions coming from your mind, as our inner world/voice is typically used to running wild on auto-pilot. Calmly allow these passing thoughts to fade, and turn your attention back to your breath. 

Start working towards calming your mind. Focus on counting to 10 with your breath. Inhale 1, exhale 2, inhale 3, exhale 4, and continue to 10. If you notice your thoughts wandering, gently let them go, turn your attention back to your breath, and begin again with 1 on your next inhale.

Or, if you prefer more than numbers for your focus, try thinking to yourself “inhale peace and relaxation” each inhale, and “exhale stress and tension” each exhale. Many Yogis enjoy guided meditations to help focus.

Want more on Meditation?
Check our Meditation Board on Pinterest!

Next INTRO CHALLENGE May 2023

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Share your Practice

Please comment and let me know what you thought of this meditation exercise! If you meditate, how long do you typically meditate for and how frequently? Do you have another meditation technique or guided meditation you particularly enjoy? Always remember, be kind!

              

6 thoughts on “Meditation March 2023: Upper 4 Limbs of Yoga – Breath-Focused Meditation”

  1. Pingback: Meditation March 2023: Upper 4 Limbs of Yoga – Breath-Focused Meditation | Yoga Pit

  2. Great post on how to master the traditional Breath-Focused Meditation Practice! It’s really helpful to have different tricks and methods to calm the mind and focus on the breath. I typically meditate for around 15-20 minutes each day, but struggle with the monkey mind as well. My question for you is: what other types of meditation practices or techniques do you recommend for people who may have difficulty with traditional methods like breath-focused meditation? Thanks for sharing your insights!

    Reply

    1. Thanks I am glad you enjoyed!

      I think guided meditations are great for beginners. There are other meditative practices such as moving meditations and flame gazes you can try alone or with a guided meditation for that practice. I also enjoy solfeggio frequencies and meditation music for a background. Please check out some of our other posts for mediation March with these techniques!

      This particular type of meditation is about mastering the monkey mind and finding stillness. You may also enjoy other forms of meditation – like stoic or discursive meditation. I have found practicing both styles most helpful recently.. I will write about it soon since that style ties in with our Svhadyaya practices.

      Thank you for the great question 🙂

      Reply

      2. Most meditation practices are Dharana or focus practices. The traditional breath-focused version is advanced method. Try a few other styles and then come back to it! This page is still under construction but I have a few methods here, and a list of my favorite guided meditations https://dailyyogi.world/guides/upper-limbs-of-yoga-meditation/

        I have not written much about this more cognitive approach yet other than specific Svadhyaya days. Here are some of the stoic practices https://observer.com/2016/02/ten-insanely-useful-stoic-exercises/ or https://stoicquotes.com/daily-stoic-meditations/
        You can find more on this if you’re interested. You can also check out ‘Meditations’ by Marcus Aurelius – great inspiration for this work.

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