mind, body and life skills for at-risk youth

MEDITATING On Your Breath

Here is one method to develop a calm and clear state of mind. In it we use our breath as a point of focus. To check out a video version of this, go to the Living Proof videos with Noah Levine and Vinny Ferraro.

Meditating on Your Breath: Short Explination:
- Sit in a comfortable position with a straight back.
- Allow your eyes to become still, either closing your eyes, or keeping them half open.

- Follow the feeling of the breath as you inhale and exhale. Each time you get distracted, remind yourself to return your attention to the feeling of the breath.

Meditating on Your Breath: Detailed Explination:
Take a few slow and deep breaths through your nose. Can you feel the air come in and go out as you inhale and exhale? It might feel cool, or warm, or dry – no need to describe it, just see if you can locate the area where you feel your breath. You might find this feeling of the air on this little spot at the top of your upper lip, just below your nostrils. This feeling of your breath is your point of focus during the meditation. (If you have a stuffed nose, or can’t feel the air in that spot, you might notice your stomach rising and falling as you inhale and exhale. If the movement of your stomach is more obvious than the feeling in your nose, use that as your point of focus.)

Now that you’ve located the point of focus where you feel the breath come in and go out, sit in a comfortable position with a straight back. Sitting up straight helps to keep the mind sharp. Your position shouldn’t be too tight or too loose. Sitting with a straight back may be more comfortable if you use a pillow or blanket to raise your butt off the ground.

Breathing normally through your nose and sitting with a straight back, allow your eyes to become still. You can either close your eyes, or keep them half open. (If your eyes are open, don’t forget to blink!) Whether your eyes are opened or closed, the important thing is not to move them around. Still eyes help to still the mind.

Now that you are sitting with your eyes still, your back straight, and you are breathing normally through your nose, your body is ready for meditation. So, what to do with your mind? You know that spot where you can feel the air coming in and going out? Place your attention on that area. Follow the feeling of the breath as you inhale and exhale. Each time you get distracted, remind yourself to return your attention to the feeling of the breath. Whenever you notice yourself thinking different thoughts (“I’m bored”, “This is great”, etc.) hearing different sounds (people talking, noises, etc.) or feeling different sensations in your body (hot, tense, tingling, etc.), just return your attention to this feeling of your breath. It’s totally normal to start thinking about all sorts of things, but when you notice “I’m thinking about this or that, I’m distracted”, that is the reminder to just return to the feeling of your breath as it comes in and goes out. Again and again, gently return to the feeling of the breath. When you notice you are distracted and return to this point of focus, you are doing this meditation.

Whenever you complete a period of meditation, it can be helpful to make a dedication. What is a dedication? Just like when an author dedicates a book or a musician dedicates an album, you can dedicate any peace or relaxation that you’ve had to others, with the wish that they may have some of that feeling in their lives, too.

Questions and Answers about Meditation

What can I do if it’s really difficult to concentrate?
If you are having difficulty focusing, you can silently count your breaths. Inhale, exhale “one”. Inhale, exhale “two”, and keep going until you count to ten. Counting is just a tool to help you focus— it’s not meant to be a contest to see how high you can count. If you can count to ten without getting distracted, start again.

Whenever I try to meditate, I fall asleep – what should I do?
If you are sleepy, it is really important to make sure your back is straight. In this situation, it may be more helpful to keep your eyes half opened instead of closed. If you notice that you are nodding off, it can also be helpful to take a few strong and deep breaths to help get some energy. If none of these things help, it may be a good idea to try meditating at a different time of day, when you are not as tired.
Sleepiness is one of the two main obstacles in this meditation. The other obstacle is restlessness. If you feel really restless, remember not to push yourself too hard. You are learning how to relax and it’s important not to get discouraged by temporary blocks.

How long is a meditation session?
This is up to you, but it is helpful to set aside a specific period of time and stick to it. Short sessions, repeated throughout the day, can be more helpful than one long and difficult stretch of time. For example, two or three minutes after you wake up in the morning and/or before you go to sleep atnight may be a good place to start. Getting into a daily routine will be more beneficial than trying once in a while when you are already feeling stressed out. You can gradually add more sessions or lengthen them if you feel comfortable. The more regular times you set aside to try this, the more familiar you will be with the practice of meditation.

24/7 in the Meditation Zone

You can meditate on anything. See, in the breathing meditation, we use our own breath as the point of focus, feeling the sensation of the breath coming in and out of our nose. But really, you can use any of the five senses to do meditation. For example, many people use their eyes for meditation. To do ‘eye sight meditation’, you would pick a point in front of you (like a mark on the wall) and focus all of your attention on that one point. Or if you are eating something, you can do ‘Eating meditation’, where you try to just focus on the feeling of the foods texture and taste. While you do these, just remember, if you get distracted, like you start thinking about something or someone, then just check yourself, and go back to the focus of your meditation.

Vinny Ferraro on Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a powerfull way to get on with our life and let go of any bad fealings we have about things we did, or things that were done to us, in the past. Here you can download a 30 minute guided meditation and 44 minute talk by Vinny Ferraro on the subject.
Download: meditation.mp3
Download: talk.mp3

Here’s a little about Vinny:
Vinny is from a big Italian family on the East Coast, and at 17 his uncle Gigi taught him how to do drywall. Gigi taught him that the real tough guys get up and go to work. So by day he would put walls up, and by night he would take walls down. Starting in 1987, Vinny began speaking in drug rehabs and prisons, making him realize how much he loved to work with people. He says it is the one thing in his life that makes him feel human. By the late 80’s, he began speaking at schools and conventions as well. In 1993, he started working with street artists, acquiring “legal walls” for kids’ graffiti murals. He also started leading men’s groups and teaching meditation, which he continues to this day. In 1998, he spent a year sitting bedside with the dying through the Zen Center Hospice Program in San Francisco, as well as experiencing A Year to Live Practice. He has studied with several renowned spiritual teachers, the Dalai Lama among them. In 2001, Vinny trained to lead Challenge Days, and since then he has become an integral part of the organization and the work of Challenge Day. Vinny is also in the Community Dharma Leaders program at Spirit Rock meditation Center and he co-teaches meditation retreat at Spirit Rock with Noah Levine.

The Meditation Manual Vol. 1

Download the first edition of The Meditation Manual HERE.
The Meditation Manual is a little book to help people learn about meditation. This is for both people who want an introduction to meditation, and for those who want to deepen their understanding of what they already know. It’s a very simple booklet, and we feel it covers the basics:
-‘what is meditation?’
-‘how to get started’.
-two stories of teens who learned meditation while they were locked up.
-lyrics from KRS-One’s “Ocean Within
-and more…
Also, the artwork is by the bigtime MBA supporter,Mike Giant, so check him out if you’re into it.
Also, send us feedback for our second edition, we want to hear from you!

Noah Levine on Getting Down With Concentration

Here is a 30 minute mp3 from Noah on concentration and focus. Download it for free!