Stages in the In and Out Breathing (ānāpāna sati) Meditation
(MS Vol. III: 121-129)
1. Sit with your back straight
2. Withdraw your attention from external objects
3. Withdraw your attention from memories
4. Focus your attention on the subjective experience, which means look at your body from inside, in terms of how you feel the body.
5. Observe your inhalations and exhalations as they come and go, as you feel them.
6. Notice the length of your inhalations and exhalations.
7. Notice the feeling in your entire body, as you breathe in and out
8. Relaxing this bodily activity, breathe in and out. Relaxing is not doing anything, but not doing.
9. Experiencing rapture, breathe in and out
10. Experiencing the comfort of relaxation, breathe in and out
11. Observing the mental activity, breathe in and out
12. Calming the mental activity, breathe in and out
13. Being aware of the mood, breathe in and out
14. Super gladdening the mood, breathe in and out
15. Resting the mood, breathe in and out
16. Liberating the mood, breathe in and out
17. Observing instability, breathe in and out
18. Observing dispassion, breathe in and out
19. Observing termination, breathe in and out
20. Observing freedom, breathe in and out
It should be noted that the above description does not refer to concentration on the breathing, but to a constantly changing focus as you breathe in and out, while you relax the body and tranquillize the mind more and more. Finally, it leads to insight, and freedom.
Awareness of breathing gives feedback regarding the level of excitement and tension in the body, thus helping to relax and maintain calmness. This is the meaning of the practice of awareness of breathing in and out (ānāpāna sati).