Mindful Happiness

Anthony Quintiliani, Ph.D, LADC

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More on Mindful Breathing

More on Mindful Breathing

  1. Whole-Heart Breathing – I have modified and expanded this great process from Thich Nhat Hanh.  If comfortable close your eyes and simply breathe calming and deeply for a few breaths. Add you personal half smile and allow the soothing (sometimes very subtle) sensation to spread all over your face.  Do not think about it happening, just allow it to happen. Now feel it down to the sides of your neck and out to your shoulders.  Simply allow soothing subtle sensation to spread this way. Move it down the arms all the way to your fingertips. Recall a substance-free happy experience and smile more. Feel the emotion, even perhaps love. Now slowly and gently place both hands over your heart and rock gently.  Continue for a couple minutes. Notice!
  2. Gratitude breathing –  Breathe calmly, deeply and simply focus all of your attention on at least five things you know you have personal gratitude for. Sometimes very simply things can be very powerful here.
  3. Quicken-Breath – Breathe deeply and quick for a few breaths. Inhale through your nose and push the exhale out through your mouth. Force the exhalation out so you can here a quick puff. Blow the exhalation out. Continue for 5-6 breaths. Notice!
  4. Body-Breathing – Practice abdominal breathing for a few breaths. Now imagine and visualize the healing energy of the in-breath bringing wellness to your whole body.  On the exhalation, imagine and visualize the out-breath removing all toxic feelings and substances from your body. Continue for 7-8 breaths.
  5. Stranding Tall Breath – Now stand up and assume the horse posture (feet at shoulders’ width apart and back gently straight.  As you inhale deeply raise your arms from your sides upward toward the ceiling or sky. Imagine bringing in healing energy from your feet to the top of your head on each inhalation. As you exhale slowly bring arms down at the end. Continue for 5-6 breaths. Notice!
  6. Quintiliani’s  Healing Breath – Practice abdominal breathing for a few breaths. Now imagine that with each inhalation you bring in something you seek (feelings of joy, calmness, safety, etc.).  Practice for a while. Now imagine that with each exhalation you remove from your body-mind all negative mood states (sadness, depression, anxiety, fear, anger, etc.). Practice this for a while.  Now do both – in with the good and out with the unhelpful.  Notice!

For more refer to Quintiliani, A. R. (2014). Mindful Happiness…Shelburne, VT: Red Barn Books.

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

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New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!

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Mindful Breathing with Mindful Observation

Mindful Observation  Through Mindful Breathing

The following guided meditation is a combination meditation from Asanga’s Grounds of Hearers, Jam-Yang-Shay-Pa’s concentration meditation on the breath, and the Anapanasati Sutta. These guided meditation instructions have been simplified and combined for contemporary use by lay meditators.

Observation of Observation – Mindfulness in Breathing

  1. Contemplate breathing in and out with complete mindfulness.  Then do so by breathing in and out.
  2. Notice mindfully how a long breath feels in the body, and notice how a short breath feels in the body.
  3. With mindful contemplation notice the feeling in the body when you breathe in and out. Now do so with long and short breaths. Notice and experience the movement of your breath in and out, long and short.
  4. Calm the body. Continue to breathe in this way with an intention to purify your body of all defilements.
  5. Contemplate how your mind works when you meditate on your breath. Work on calming your mind.
  6. Now breathe with an intention to gladden your mind, calm your mind, and let go of your mind.
  7. Notice closely how it feels when you release your mind in mindful, calm breathing. Purify your mind!
  8. See if you can achieve meditative stabilization. Breathe in and out, long and short. Purity and notice!
  9. Allow your body and mind to experience inner joy. Simply breathe in and out, long and short.
  10. Contemplate the experience of a glimpse of impermanence in body and mind by breathing in and out.
  11. Notice the utter impermanence of thoughts, feelings, and breaths. They simply arise and fall, always!
  12. Just practice being your mind-body breath and release desires. Separate yourself from desire.
  13. Consider renunciation of ego-mind suffering in samsara. Let the body and mind breathe in and out.
  14. Did you experience any short experience of bliss in this breath meditation? Can you describe it?
  15. Was there any moment when you experienced inner happiness in this process? Can you describe it?

For more information refer to Zahler, L. (2009). Study and Practice of Meditation: Tibetan Interpretations of Contemplation and Formless Absorption. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, pp. 105-136.

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

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New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!

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Breathing Practices and Emptiness

Breathing Practices and Emptiness

Here I will introduce you to five breathing practices, each one moving progressively closer and closer to emptiness/no-self experiences. Do your best to remain open in these practices.

  1. Notice the feel of your posture. Once comfortable notice your breath as it is. Relax and close your eyes if ok. Rest your hands in your lap, on your thighs, or in a mudra. Feel your body sensations as you breathe in and out at your own pace. Just notice the normal breath in the inner quietude. Now slowly deepen and extend your in (arising) and out (falling) breaths.  Notice.
  2. Within the same breathing experience, now bring stronger attention to the inner feel of your body sensations. Allow the sensations to root your present-moment emotional experiences. Notice what the quality of these emotional experiences are.  With each breath go a bit deeper into the awareness of the emotional experiences. As you become more keenly aware of your emotional experiences, notice which of the sense-doors are more active.  Are emotions based on the past, future. or the present moment? Notice the arising and falling away of experience.
  3. Now focus on the objects of your mind. Be in choiceless awareness as you simply allow to come into your awareness what ever comes into your awareness. Try not to either desire/cling or avoid what you are experiencing at this time.  Let’s move to the five aggregates of experience. Notice material form that you become aware of. Notice your feeling tone. Notice your perceptual experiences as you meditate on breath. Notice the differences between volitional and automatic mental formations – thoughts, etc. Pay attention to the culmination of personal consciousness through these experiences.  Continue to meditate on your breath. Perhaps, you will be aware of making contact with objects of consciousness as they occur. Perhaps not.
  4. As you continue to meditate on your breath, become more aware of the four-links in dependent origination. Nothing arises of itself; everything that arises (and falls) depends upon causes and conditions that allow the arising and the falling. This is dependent origination and impermanence. First notice making sensory contact (in Buddhism this includes thoughts about it) with objects of attention. Then notice how automatically you mind creates a positive or negative (sometimes neutral) evaluation of the contact experience. Next this leads to craving/clinging or avoiding the experiences.  When we try to avoid negatives, we suffer; when we try to hold on to positives, we suffer. Contemplate these realities as you meditate on your breath.
  5. Now we move to impermanence, hints of so-self, and ultimate realities in experiences. Focus strong attention on the exact point of arising into consciousness of objects, contact with them, and emotional experiences.  Do the same with the falling away of these “realities.” Bring strong conscious awareness to your breath, continue to meditate on it. Notice the arising of thoughts about experiences, and note the falling away of thoughts about experiences. Who/what is experiencing these experiences?  Are they self, not-self, or no-self.  Confused? Just meditate now.
  6. Now just sit quietly, calmly and contemplate what you may have learned from these linked breathing meditations.  Any new or clarified insights?

For more information refer to Armstrong, G. (2017). Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators. Somerville, Mass: Wisdom Publications, pp. 13-98.

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

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New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!

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Deep Love & Respect for Lost Loved Ones

Showing Deep Love & Respect Loved Ones Lost

mindfulhappiness-rituals-anthonyquintlianiThis is a very brief post about love and respect for “lost loved ones” – those special people who have left their human body and mind behind.

Two Rituals

1) Loving Kindness Meditation for Lost Loved Ones

After breathing slowly and deeply for a few minutes in silence, meditate lovingly on the spirit of a lost loved one. When you are ready recite silently the following.

May you be SAFE.

May you be FREE FROM SUFFERING.

May you be at PEACE AND EQUANIMITY.

May you be HAPPIER without the continued existence of a suffering mind and body.

May you know that I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU.

May you KNOW THAT I WILL ALWAYS DEEPLY LOVE YOU.  Now sit and reflect quietly.

2)   Camp Fire Ritual for Lost Loved Ones – First Nations Inspiration

Sit quietly and breathe deeply and slowly for a few minutes.campfire-ritual-mindful-happiness

Write the name of a lost loved one on a piece of paper, fold it and hold it in your hands –  in prayer pose.

Now meaningfully place your prayer pose bands over your heart and FEEL it.

Recite silently the Loving Kindness Meditation above.

When you are ready commit the paper to the camp fire.

Sit quietly and reflect privately for a few minutes.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

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Choice-Making Skills

Using Meditation, Yoga and Breathing…

You can Anchor your Choice Making

A key outcome of serious practice is  that you now reduce auto-pilot reactivity to people, places, things, emotions, sensations, craving, and memories and at the same time notice your mind CAN BE in charge of your brain-body reactions.  Yes, regular daily mindfulness practice allows you more mind-power to make decisions on how to respond to unhelpful events in life.   You notice that you are less apt to react impulsively (with habits of anger, anxiety, depression, avoidance, aggression, self-medication, etc.) and more apt to respond thoughtfully, even compassionately.  To enhance these changes in HOW you live your life, how your mindful-mind helps you to respond constructively to challenges, I will suggest several regular practices below.mindfulhappiness_Choices-anthonyquintiliani

In 1995 T. K. V. Desikachar noted that having the capacity to intentionally direct one’s mind is a fundamentally important core mindfulness skill.  I have often reminded my own secular meditation students that “You are not your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, sensations, or memories.  You are beyond, more than, these random firings of brain cells.”  True, all these experiences may shape us in both positive and negative ways, and if unhelpful they may cause higher levels of stress, angst, and despair.  However, mind training via regular meditation or yoga practice allows your mind to slow the impulsive reactions and to THINK about (contemplate) what an appropriate response might be.  As you become more wise-mind skilled, your repeated and improved responses eventually compete with habitual impulsive reactions – thereby creating helpful brain plasticity for a calmer and happier life.  These changes take time to normalize in our mind and body.  It is very wise to use selective attention – paying more attention to neutral and positive/helpful experiences than to negative/unhelpful experiences.  Do not avoid corrective changes you may need to make, but do not focus attention on unhelpful events and realities.

Samatha-Meditation-Mindful-HappinessThe practice of Samatha or calm abiding meditation, in which your single pointed concentration is on more positive/helpful thoughts, emotions, and memories may be helpful here.  Likewise practicing various meditation and yoga breathing patterns will help calm your reactive body and center you mind’s attention.  Often an effective mantra can be helpful: when I notice the arising of unhelpful energy in my mind or body I often say to myself “be calm, be kind.”  What mantra self-talk might be helpful to you?  Sometimes bringing your focus of attention to your soft heart energy can help.  Many major spiritual traditions practice contemplating/imagining white or golden-white light coming from the heart area.  It may help to gently place both hands over your heart.  Try this, and allow the healing light to soothe you.  Other helpful practices that reduce your suffering and may increase your joy are: thinking radical acceptance regarding things you cannot change; finding more personal meaning in your life; being more self-compassionate; practicing slow, full-body body scans; doing spiritual rituals; and, resting in shavasana (lying resting pose) or yoga nidra may comfort you.

Try some of these practices. on a regular basis.  

See what improvements you notice.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

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For more information refer to Nurries Stearns, M. and Nurries Stearns, R. (2013).  Yoga for Emotional Trauma: Meditations and Practices for Healing Pain and Suffering. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger, pp. 170-191.  See also Miller, R. (2005). Yoga Nidra: A Meditative Practice for Deep relaxation and Healing. Boulder, CO: Sounds True.