3/7/2014 First Practice: The Healing Breath

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July 3, 2014
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First Practice: The Healing Breath
The practice of pranayama can be described as voluntary control of inbreathing,
outbreathing, and holding the breath. This is done chiefly for the setting up of a new
condition of breathing intended to become habitual after sufficient voluntary
practice. In this connection it is found that the transition from effort to habit is
accompanied by a feeling in the mind (which we may call a mood), growing and
becoming definite in the course of the process, whereby later on at any time when
one finds that the breathing has reverted to a bad or undesired habit one may
remember the feel of the mood, and with an almost imperceptible act of will, re-
establish the new habit."
- Ernest Wood, Yoga
veryone who enters Zen's Gateless Gate, has a
story to tell. Mine begins one summer evening
when I received a call from a friend who had
recently moved to another state. "I found a Buddhist
Priest who teaches Zen." He told me. "Last night she gave
me a pranayama exercise called the Healing Breath." I
was immediately interested. I had a hobby, of sorts, of
collecting meditation exercises. I was master of none but
proud of my collection, nonetheless. "Tell me!" I said with
eager enthusiasm. We talked for a while and later that
evening I tried it out. The next day I was still exasperated
from my futile efforts. I called my friend back and
complained "This is a tough exercise!" "It's not meant to
be easy," he said, adding, "You just have to do it." I had
previously tried many types of breathing exercises but
none had been as alluring as the Healing Breath. Its sheer
simplicity and unexpected difficulty made me think there
must be something to it. It wasn't until several years later that I picked the Healing Breath out
of my treasure chest of pranayama exercises, as the one I would devote effort to. It took those
intervening years to develop the Right Attitude that would be necessary to make the exercise
work.
The Healing Breath is all we need to enter Zen. Anyone who can breathe can do it: for it requires
no special knowledge of sutras or philosophy and it needs no special environment like a
meditation hall, monastery or temple: all it requires is the Right Attitude. It may help to clarify
why we do it and describe essential prerequisite conditions that must be established before
attempting it.
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3/7/2014 First Practice: The Healing Breath
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Learning begins at the beginning. Just as a math teacher would never attempt to teach calculus
to a student who had not learned the rudimentary principles of algebra, a Zen Master would not
consider introducing advanced meditations to a student who had not first learned to control the
breath. When people announce that they have spent years practicing a variety of meditation
exercises without success, I remember my own experiences and tell them to do as I did: return
to the beginning and perfect the Healing Breath. Until full command of the breath is
accomplished there is little chance of success with other meditation disciplines and we,
unwittingly, remain mired in samsara, frustrated in our efforts and disillusioned with our path.
The slippery ego is inevitably the biggest obstacle. When it kicks in, we flip-flop like a fish on dry
land. "Why must I do it?" "Why can't I do some other practice instead?" "I don't have the time
to do it!" "Can I change the ratio from 1:4:2 to 1:4:3?" "I don't have the energy!" "I've got to
take the laundry to the dry cleaners!" We wiggle and squirm when we are presented with
something we don't want to do -- our faith in the practice gets undermined by the subversive
ego at every turn. Why does a practice as simple as rhythmical breathing draw so much
resistance and how can it be overcome? Having the Right Attitude requires unquestioning faith
in and dedication to the practice with the intent to succeed. If we don't know where we're going,
don't we ask directions? And if we are told to go right and then go to the second stop light
make a left, don't we do it unconditionally? This is all that "Right Attitude" means: follow
directions willingly, without resistance, with the faith that doing so will lead us to the destination
we're seeking.
When we find ourselves fighting the practice, making excuses not to do it or wanting to alter
the ratios or otherwise do it our own way, we must recognize that we are procrastinating -
inventing divisive ways to avoid doing the necessary work. Right Attitude means not giving into
our desires, but attacking the practice as if our life depends on it. I often tell people to imagine
someone pointing a gun at their temple - the energy and devotion to the practice that this
imagery can induce is what's needed to succeed. There is a story of a warlord who, while visiting
his old Zen Master, hears a novice complaining about not being able to concentrate. "May I solve
this problem for you Master?" the warlord asks. "Yes, please do!" the master happily chimes.
The warlord fetches a cup and fills it to the brim with water. He hands the cup to the novice and
commands: "Walk around the perimeter of this courtyard carrying this cup of water. While you
do, six of my best archers will be poised ready to shoot you dead if you spill as much as one
drop." The novice quickly learns how to concentrate.
When we do any Chan practice passively, waiting for something to mysteriously happen to us,
we waste our time and succeed only in becoming frustrated. Then, after a short time, we give
up. Allowing ourselves to indulge in laziness, we forever circle the mountain. No meditation or
pranayama practice can succeed unless we commit 100 percent to it with heart, mind, and body.
Occasionally there may be a physical obstacle such as an underlying medical condition effecting
the respiratory or cardiopulmonary systems. In this case, a doctor should be consulted before
attempting the exercise. If the devotee smokes or otherwise injures the breathing apparatus
with drugs, there may be problems associated with gasping or wheezing when starting the
Healing Breath for the first time. If there are addictions to smoking (or other drugs), or cravings
of any kind, they are naturally diffused and are eventually eliminated if the Healing Breath is done
properly and regularly.
Effects from the Healing Breath
The Healing Breath works on three levels: the psychological, the physiological, and the spiritual.
In the beginning, these three are interconnected like braids of a rope, each dependent on the
others for strength, each becoming stronger as the others gain strength. As the Healing Breath
practice grows and matures, this rope becomes more like a mono-filament fishing line. When the
psychological/physiological/spiritual "components" have been merged into one we enter the
blissful rapture of meditation.
Psychological effects
Psychology depends on the existence of an ego - an arbitrary, self-conceived, self-created,
autonomous force of will. When this creation gets agitated we get depressed, angry, fearful and
anxious. The process of vanquishing the ego can itself stimulate this agitation by assaulting it
with the possibility of extinction - something the ego revolts against fiercely. Initiating a Healing
Breath regimen can cause temporary moodiness and anxiety for this reason. When it does, we
must understand the cause-effect relationship and let the ill-effects pass as easily as they arise;
our act of will is the only power the ego can not resist. When we succumb to the ego's desire
for a "safe" existence, we relinquish command over our lives and fall deeper into the confines of
the ego's illusory, samsaric, domain. But with a strong will, we pass through these unsavory
episodes of psychological unsteadiness, gaining strength each time. With continued practice, we
become immune to any lasting bouts psychological stresses, for a new willful power arises that
can identify and extinguish any unwanted mood with negligible effort.
Physical effects
As we all know in this modern age, the mind-body is a tightly interconnected system - change
one part of the system and every other part is influenced -- so it's no surprise that regular
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practice of the Healing Breath brings beneficial changes to every part of the mind-body. As the
mind is quieted by the slow breathing exercise, the brain becomes better able to regulate
serotonin (c.f. Bujatti, M. and Reiderer, P., Journal of Neural Transmission 39: 257-267, 1976)
and other chemicals responsible for regulating our biochemistry: we sleep better, our overall
mood improves, and we become calmer and less agitated. In addition, muscles relax, the
cardiovascular and pulmonary systems become stronger and healthier, physical endurance and
stamina increase, digestion improves, and mental capacity for concentration and memory are
enhanced. It takes only a few days of dedicated practice to begin to realize all of these effects.
Spiritual effects
We are all spiritual beings by nature, so, in reality, there is nothing spiritual to be gained from
practicing the Healing Breath. That is, there is nothing to gain that we don't already have. What
we do have to do is gain the awareness of our spiritual nature. With religious devotion to the
Healing Breath exercise we can gain that insight; an event we call satori - a gestalt, a sudden
realization of our pure, unfettered, non-dualistic nature as human beings. When it happens, we
suddenly see the ego as an arbitrary illusion and see, with clarity, what's left: our True Nature,
our Buddha Nature. Like a hologram, the whole is contained in each part, but until the mind is
calmed and the body is at ease, we see with a mind that darts off in every direction, creating
distinctions of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and thought. We see only the parts and not the
whole.
For those people who are new to Zen, the Healing Breath is an excellent place to begin a
practice. And for those who have spent many years studying Zen or practicing a variety of
exercises without significant progress, the Healing Breath is an excellent place to return to. Even
adepts use the Healing Breath to begin their practice, for they know that it will quickly bring the
mind-body into balance and prepare the way for entering deep states of mediation.
The Healing Breath is performed in three parts in a carefully regulated pattern, or ratio, in a
"1:4:2" sequence: an inhale(1-count), a hold(4-counts), and an exhale(2-counts). This means
that the breath is held for four times the amount of time taken to perform the inhale, and the
exhale is completed in twice the time taken to inhale. When we first start the practice, we may
begin with a ratio series of 4:16:8, where each count is approximately one second. Then, as the
breath becomes stronger and more durable, we may move to a ratio series of 6:24:12, and then
to 8:32:16, etc. As we work with the Healing Breath, we gradually extend the number of counts
for longer and longer durations, maintaining the same ratio and one-second count interval. An
audible clock can be used to "click-off" the time in one-second intervals, or, if the heartbeat can
be felt or heard, it can be used instead. When doing the practice, stopping to admire the results
is not an option: continuous focused concentration on the count is essential. With the Right
Effort and the Right Attitude, in a short amount of time - days or weeks -- we will begin to
notice subtle changes in mood and physical energy, and our demeanor will become calmer and
quieter. This is the power of one of the simplest pranayama exercises, an exercise that sets the
stage for all subsequent Chan practices.

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Sai Reddy
I can't believe that its been more than ten years since this was published. Even though I was
nodding in agreement as I read along this article, the actual practice was never initiated by me.
It now seems easy to say if only I started following the advise of these fabulously clear cut
instructions, my mental state would be much better. May be there's no reason to despair and
as they say better late than never.
PS: That's probably the reason why Zen masters carried a big stick, to get their lazy ass
students moving along the path.
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Paz
Namaste!
This is an excellent set of instructions and this has become my favorite zen-practise. What I
found also helpful was this advice I found on another website: "your breath must be so fine it
does not ruffle a feather" This advice for me naturally opened the door to deep abdominal
breathing and made me realize why this exercise is so difficult but also so rewarding!
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