Methods of Vipassana Meditation - วิธีนั่งสมาธิแบบวิปัสสนา

Watching the Breathing like a river : (Bhud-tho:พูธโธ)

The main thing to focus upon in this meditation technique is the breath itself. This method is the most basic form of Vipassana. You have to watch your breath as it comes inside your body and then goes outside.

find a comfortable, peaceful place. Sit their silently in a comfortable position. Now close your eyes and take some deep breath. Now start observing your breathing. Focus your entire attention on the breathing and follow it as it travels inside your body and comes out.

Follow the breath in its entire route of inhalation and exhalation. Watch the breath as if you are watching a river. A river is flowing and you are sitting on its bank. You are watching the water as it flows in the river. However, you are just a watcher. You are not concerned with the speed of the flow. Neither your are concerned with the quality of water or whether it has ripple in it or not. You are just watching the river without involving yourself in the flow.
Similarly, just watch your breath as it moves in your body. Don't be attached with it.

When it comes - watch it. (or Bhud)
When it goes - Watch it. (or Tho)

Be a watcher, be a witness.

This is not easy.

There will be distractions as you watch. There will be floods of thoughts. You will be carry away by different kind of thoughts. But don't get discouraged.

If your attention is diverted 100 times, bring it back to breathing 100 times. Slowly all thoughts will start settling down. As you watch your breath, soon you will realize the witness in you. The one who is watching the watcher itself. Your true identity. You are not body, you are not mind, you are not breathing. You are -self. The knower who knows everything. Yet remains pure and unattached.

Watch your breathing. Keep watching and you will be in meditation

Watching the belly: (Yub kno, Pong kno - ยุบหนอ พองหนอ)

The belly is considered as the location of the hara centre. Just behind and below your navel (belly button) lies the hara, which is a point of consciousness that is considered as the center of your subtle body.

By focussing our attention on the hara centre, we can easily attain a meditative state of mind. As you meditate upon hara, your thinking process starts slowing down on its own. You achieve a state of choiceless awareness. The 'belly watching' form of Vipassana meditation involves focussing our attention on the breathing process felt around the belly.

Whenever we breath, our belly moves up and down. This movement of belly is a continuous process. Just like breathing, this movement (of belly) also goes on continuously. And we can use this movement to attain a meditative state.

Let's see how: Sit quietly at a comfortable, peaceful place. Close your eyes and take few deep breath. Now focus your attention on the area around the belly.

See how it goes up and down along with the breath. Just be watchful of the belly movement as it comes upward & downward during the breathing. Focus your whole attention on this belly movement.

Inhale - Belly will move upward (ป่องออก - ยุบหนอ: yub kno)
Exhale - Belly will move downward (ท้องแฟบเข้า - พองหนอ: pong kno)

Keep watching this belly movement. Within a span of few minutes, you will realize that your thoughts have gradually started disappearing from your mind. You will feel a state of increased awareness. Be a witness to the changes in your body during this meditation.

After 15-20 minutes, stop this belly meditation stop watching the belly movement and come out of this meditation.

credit to : meditationiseasy

Meditation benefits to practitioner's Health

Meditation has many health benefits. meditation techniques are being implemented in management of life threatening diseases; in transformation of molecular and genetic structure; in reversal of mental illnesses, in accelerated learning programs, in perceptions and communications beyond the physical, in solving problems and atomic and nuclear physics; in gaining better ecological understanding; in management of lifestyle and future world problems.
Certain Health benefits of meditation are:

Lowers oxygen consumption.decreases respiratory rate.

Increase blood flow & slows the heart rate

Increase exercise tolerance in heart patients

Leads to a deeper level of relaxation

Brings high blood pressure to normal

Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate

Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches

Builds self-confidence due to the increase serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour

Reduce depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches as mediation will lower level of serotonin

Helps in chronic diseases like allergies , arthritis etc

Reduces Pre- menstrual Syndrome

Helps in post-operative healing

Enhances the immune system as research has revealed that meditation increases activity of 'natural-killer cells', which kill bacteria and cancer cells. Also reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress

What is Meditaion?......

• "Meditation" is come from two Latin words

1.) meditari (to think, to dwell upon, to exercise the mind) and

2.) mederi (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation 'medha' means wisdom.

• Meditation means awareness. Whatever you do with awareness is meditation for example, "Watching your breath" is meditation; listening to the birds is meditation. As long as these activities are free from any other distraction to the mind, it is effective meditation. สมาธิ หมายถึง การมีสติรู้ตัวในการกริยาของตน ตลอดเวลา เช่น สัมผัสรู้ลมหายใจผ่านเข้าออก สัมผัสรู้ท้องป่องเมื่อหายใจเข้าและท้องแฟบเมื่อหายใจออก
• Meditation means 'a cessation of the thought process' . It describes a state of consciousness, when the mind is free of scattered thoughts and various patterns
• commonly understood to mean some form of spiritual practice where one sits down with eyes closed and empties the mind to attain inner peace, relaxation or even an experience of God.