The 112 Meditations · Breath
The natural pause
Rest in the small, natural pause that comes after the breath has gone all the way out, before the next breath begins.
The teaching, in plain wordsWhen the breath has gone all the way out and stops by itself, or has come all the way in and stops by itself, rest in that pause. In that stillness, the busy small self falls quiet.
From the Vigyan Bhairava Tantra
How to practice
- Breathe naturally for a minute and let the body settle.
- Notice that after each out-breath there is a short gap before the next in-breath arrives.
- Don't hold your breath or lengthen the gap. Just notice it as it comes.
- Let your attention rest in that gap, as if resting in a small room of stillness.
- When the next breath comes, let it come, and wait for the next pause.
Never force or stretch the pause. The technique is about noticing a stillness that is already there, not creating one.