Sometimes there are no words to describe the meditative process, and it can get in the way of our awareness and stillness of mind. Traditionally, a meditative series includes the Anapanasati, or the breathing exercises, followed by the calming of the mind, and ending with the metta practice.

But if you find yourself at a loss for words, simply come back to the breath. Anapanasati is the key to cultivating the stillness of mind all yoga students seek.

Allow your body to settle and relax as you bring your attention to the inflowing and outgoing breath. Notice the qualities of your breath. This sensation of your breath is the beginning of the Anapanasati training that inspires the presence of mind.

Is your breath warm or cool?

Are you breathing fast or slow?

Practicing this kind of awareness is what brings you into that mindful state and grants you the ability to observe what is just as it is, without any judgment or emotional attachment.

Yet, sometimes, there are no words to describe our breath, our state of being, our meditative process. There is an infinite number of qualities we can apply, and that infinity can be overwhelming.

If you cannot find the words, do not force them. Instead, I invite you to observe this awareness of nothingness. It is the perfect opportunity to practice observing your reactions instead of participating in them. This is a lesson in being aware of an emotion without trying to qualify it.

Observe that reaction with as much equanimity as possible, then return to your breathing.

Your breath is the single tactile sensation that can keep you grounded as you practice Anapanasati. It is the perfect opportunity to practice awareness and reach a plane of non-reactivity that you can eventually cultivate and carry with you into the complex, modern world we live in.

I invite you now to join me through this meditative practice as we sharpen our minds and accept that sometimes words cannot do justice, and this awareness of mind is enough. It is enough to reach that nothingness and return to the ingoing and outgoing breath.

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