Zen Meditation

Is there any possibility of arresting our thought process through physical manipulation? Yes. There is. This technique is called Shambhavi Mudra (Gazing at the Eyebrow Centre). In this technique, one should try to look at the centre of the eyebrow. When a person tries to look at his eyebrow centre, he cannot think. If he tries to think, he may get a mild headache. Zen Meditation has combined Shambhavi Mudra with the awareness of breathing.

Technique

This meditation can be practised in any comfortable and restful posture. Look at the eyebrow centre. At the same time your awareness should be on your breathing. When some other thought intrudes, push them aside. At times, merely concentrating on our breath may be difficult. In order to fix our attention completely on the breathing, you may start counting your breath with every exhalation: one, two, three, etc. All your attention is gently and firmly fixed on this one action of counting only. You may count sequentially, as high as you can go during each session.

Sequential counting has a pitfall - it is very difficult to concentrate. You will be able to count without being aware of it. It becomes an automatic activity and your thoughts may plunge into something unwanted.

To counteract this, the counting may be varied slightly: count up to 50 or even beyond, and then count backwards.

This type of meditation is taught in Zen training, where students are required to be aware of their breathing process all the time.

Since breathing is a continuous unbroken process it provides you the means for tmbroken meditation on which you can concentrate non-stop until the expiry of the scheduled time you have set apart for yourself.

If the breathing is rhythmic, a sort of vibration is created in the body, which tones up your nervous system and thereby reduces stress.