Counting Breath

The author notes a number of ways to count the breath. My favorite was and Is that of counting exhalations, but not counting inhalation. This also appears to be what is required to meditate as far the method proposed in this book is concerned. Saying one, two and so on helps whenever you exhale places, I noted, some tension in the tanden. I do this by saying the numbers while stressing the vocal cords silently.
I count, sometimes, inhalations only, passing exhalations. I do this to train myself to prevent chest breathing, that is not inhaling while letting tanden inflate or tensing it to inflate.

The author recommends to simultaneously count and expire, I am referring to the second method. Having practiced this, I have faced the problem of losing the count as a result of thinking about something.

The solution to this problems the author says is to stop or almost stop breathing. It is true if you do this, after doing other recommendations such as posture and so on, one actually gains a capacity to control thoughts, in addition to emptying himself or nearly so of pressures. The problem of losing yourself in your thoughts goes hand in hand with moderate exhalations.

The two phased form of inspiration is not clear when it comes to counting inhalations only and passing exhalations. If one thinks two phased approach as normal abdominal inspiration, that is just letting inhalation of air inflate the lower abdomen, and active abdominal inspiration, that is tensing the lower abdomen, then such phased- approach is really helpful in preventing chest breathing .

As I stated earlier I really don't understand what is mean by chest breathing, but I do feel relief from chest pain and pressure when I inspire in the two-phased approach explicated above.

I also sometimes wander if the two-phased approach might be made into one approach, so that one inflates the lower abdomen by inhaling and tensing it simultaneously, rather than doing the same thing sequentially.

Having experiments on both, I have noticed that much of difference.

I prevent chest breathing, which I think I know by Its effect, is to place a finger on the navel, and then inflate the lower abdomen by inhaling and tensing sequentially.

For a while, I have practiced counting exhalations, letting inhalations pass without counting them. This did not lead me to anticipated fana or samadi. The author discusses about two forms of samadhi, absolute and positive samadhi, the former being the base of the latter and many others. My understanding of the author's exposition is that counting the breath leads to positive but not absolute samadhi.


Positive samadhi, in my experience, refers to the emergency of state of mind that is able to create delighting work.

The reason why the author calls this samadhi positive is not clear to me.