Hi friend,
Condensed Ānāpānasati is a simple yet powerful meditation technique that I created based on the original teachings of the Buddha.
Disclaimer
I do not recommend this technique for people suffering from psychological disorders. Before practicing Condensed Ānāpānasati, please make sure you have a solid foundation of well-being in your life. A good place to start is my Daily Wellness Empowerment Program.
If you don't see the point of this Condensed Ānāpānasati technique, or if it makes you feel uncomfortable, please don't worry, it probably just means that this technique is not for you at this point in time. We meditate to feel better, so please don't force yourself.
Level 1 — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, inconstant, unreliable, inappropriable
Sit down in a quiet place, with your back straight and relaxed. Pay attention to your natural in- and out-breaths. You can observe your breathing wherever feels most natural and comfortable — nose, chest, diaphragm, abdomen, or, as I prefer, in all these places at once. Gently observe the sensations of the breath, while being careful not to control it. When you notice that your mind begins to contract and control the breath, let it go. And when you notice your mind logging out of the breath, gently bring it back. Stay in the sweet spot where you are aware of the breath without controlling it. Keep your attention on the breath, patiently, breath after breath, without contracting your mind or controlling your breath. To make your meditation more pleasant, please smile. Smile softly with your lips. Smile with your eyes. And if you can, also smile with your brain, your nervous system and your whole body.
Make your mind awake and equanimous. Awake means that you are connected to reality. You know if you are inhaling or exhaling. You know what is happening in your body. You can hear sounds clearly and, if your eyes are open, you can see images clearly. Equanimity means that your mind stays open, not discriminating too much between pleasant and unpleasant sensations, pleasant and unpleasant sounds or images. Follow your breath. Smile gently. Mind awake and equanimous.
As you do this, mentally count your exhalations to 7, and instead of "8, 9, 10", mentally say "inconstant, unreliable, inappropriable" before returning to 1.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, inconstant, unreliable, inappropriable.
On the 1st natural exhalation, you’re mentally saying "1". On the 2nd, you’re mentally saying "2". And so on, up to "7". On the 8th, you’re mentally saying "inconstant". On the 9th, "unreliable". And on the 10th, "inappropriable". Then, you’re going back to "1", and continuing.
Remember, you are not controlling the breath, but following it as it is, with presence and patience, smiling.
This is Level 1 of Condensed Ānāpānasati. In Level 1, you don't need to think about the meaning of the words. Just follow your breath, smile gently and, as you breathe out, mentally say, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, inconstant, unreliable, inappropriable" before returning to "1,...".
Once you are comfortable with Level 1, that is, when you can easily follow your breath, count, and remember the words in order, for several minutes in a row, you can move on to Level 2.
Level 2 — less conceptualizing, more direct experience
At Level 2, we do exactly the same thing, except we conceptualize a little less and go a little deeper into the experience. When you count the breaths, put less mental energy into counting and more into experiencing the exhalation. Really feel the exhalation. And when you get to "inconstant," really perceive the inconstant nature of everything that is happening, such as your physical sensations, the sounds, the forms (if your eyes are open), your thoughts, your state of consciousness, etc. Perceive how everything changes depending on many conditions, whether in obvious or subtle ways, during the time of this exhalation. Give less importance to the mental discourse and allow things to flow, change, in the present moment. See how inconstant everything is.
With the next exhalation, perceive how things, being inconstant, are unreliable, that is, uncertain, undependable. We cannot fully predict how they will evolve. Sure, we can predict to some extent, but never completely, otherwise how would we experience surprise or frustration? We can't always keep everything the way you want it. See how unreliable everything is.
And with the next exhalation, see how things, being unreliable, are inappropriable, meaning, they cannot be appropriated. You can't claim full ownership of something you can't keep. There can be no sovereignty, i.e, absolute control, over things that are, by nature, unreliable. Of course, there is some control over our body, our mind and external things, but this control is never total, which means that in the end nothing belongs completely to anyone. See how everything is inappropriable.
Remember: your meditation itself is also inconstant, unreliable and inappropriable.
Inconstant, uncertain, inappropriable.
I understand that these three words may not resonate with everyone, so I'd like to pause a bit here to offer some acceptable alternative translations you can use:
Instead of "inconstant", you can say "changing" or "impermanent".
Instead of "unreliable", you can say "uncertain" or "unpredictable".
And instead of "inappropriable", you can say "unownable" or "sovereignless".
The words “unownable” and “sovereignless” don’t exist in the dictionary (yet) but they are easily understood and describe perfectly what it is we are trying to see. Note that I don't use the adjective "uncontrollable" because there is a certain control over things, it's just that there is no absolute control, i.e. sovereignty.
Please take the time to choose the three words you want to use before practicing the technique:
whether “inconstant”, “changing”, or “impermanent”,
whether “unreliable”, “uncertain”, or “unpredictable”, and,
whether “inappropriable”, “unownable”, or “sovereignless”.
Make sure to use them in the order given, as they are a logical demonstration. It is because things are inconstant that they are unreliable, and it is because things are unreliable that they cannot be appropriated. So you can choose "changing, uncertain, inappropriable". Or, "inconstant, unpredictable, sovereignless", for example. If you're not sure which words to choose, please follow my default suggestion: "inconstant, unreliable, inappropriable". Don't worry if these words still seem strange to you: the more you use them, the more they will reveal their meaning.
Through this technique we want to understand that all phenomena, whether internal or external, material or immaterial, past, present or future, are inconstant, unreliable and inappropriable. Everything in the universe, including our own thoughts and states of consciousness, is constantly changing according to many conditions. Because things are subject to this multifactorial change, they are unreliable. It is unreasonable to expect them to remain exactly as we wish. Being unreliable, they cannot be appropriated. We cannot claim them as totally "ours", under our absolute control. In other words, we live in a sovereignless universe. This does not mean there is no free will. This does not mean we should not make decisions, care about others, or pursue our dreams! It simply means that there is no absolute control anywhere in the universe, and the more we can familiarize ourselves with this reality, the more we can liberate our consciousness.
Everything is inconstant, unreliable and inappropriable. We want to understand this, not just intellectually but with the deepest parts of our brain, in meditation. This is not about thinking, but seeing. This is not auto-suggestion but a direct encounter with reality. And the sole purpose of this practice is to familiarize ourselves with the greatest happiness: the bliss of letting go. When we contemplate that everything is inconstant, unreliable and inappropriable, our mind begins to shed its tendency to conceptualize and contract. It unravels and it frees itself from its self-created suffering. This letting go is experienced as peace, happiness and freedom in the present moment, and the depth of our letting go will always be proportional to the degree of our understanding. The clearer the understanding, the deeper the letting go, and the deeper the letting go, the higher the bliss. Our mind becomes free, light and bright.
When you feel really comfortable at Level 2, that is, when you can practice it for several minutes at a time easily and comfortably, you can move on to Level 3.
Level 3 — enjoy the bliss of letting go
At Level 3, you will dive deeper into your experience by stopping all counting and words. No more thoughts. No more conceptualization. Just experience. With each inhalation and exhalation, perceive how inconstant, unreliable and inappropriable everything is. This includes your own meditation. Remember: your meditation is also inconstant, unreliable and inappropriable. Keep your mind connected to the present moment. Allow it to open. Allow it to unbind itself. And enjoy the bliss of letting go, the peace of letting flow, the safety and freedom of allowing everything to just be as it is, right here and now.
If your mind strays from Level 3, you can gently bring the concepts back to mind once, "inconstant, unreliable, inappropriable", dive back into the direct experience, and dive back into the bliss of letting go.
Once the deep bliss of letting go manifests, you have no more effort to make. Allow all parts of your brain to integrate how pleasurable it is to let go — to let go of all concepts, all attachment, and all sense of a separate self. This is the highest happiness: a free, light, bright, and open mind.
I wish you much success with this meditation technique.
The most important thing is that you do Level 1 correctly. Levels 2 and 3 are just the natural deepening of Level 1.
You can practice Condensed Ānāpānasati for as long as you want, as long as it makes you feel good.
Summary of Instructions
I encourage you to print 🖨️ the following:
Level 1: Sitting in a quiet place, follow your natural breathing, smile gently and on the exhalations mentally say, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, inconstant, unreliable, inappropriable" before coming back to "1,...".
Level 2: Same as Level 1, but allocate less mental energy to the counting and concepts, and more to the direct experience.
Level 3: Abandon all counting and concepts. With each inhalation and exhalation, see how inconstant, unreliable and inappropriable everything is, including your meditation. Enjoy the bliss of letting go.
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This newsletter is free and will remain free. It is 100% written by me. I only use AI to help me with the spelling, grammar, and word use. I welcome concrete and specific suggestions for improvement.
The #1 thing you can do to get started on this Mental Health Revolution is to print a Daily Wellness Empowerment Program (DWEP) Sheet and get going.