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Quick Answer
Ānāpānasati is the Theravāda mindfulness-of-breathing practice the Buddha taught his own son. Drawn from the Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118) and Bhante Gunaratana's Mindfulness in Plain English (1994), the practice anchors attention at the nostrils and counts exhales 1 to 10. Notice the breath.
Tradition and source
Tradition
Theravada Buddhist
Classical source
Ānāpānasati Sutta (Majjhima Nikāya 118) and Satipatthana Sutta (Majjhima Nikāya 10); systematised in Buddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga VIII
Modern source
Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English (1994), ch. 6, the clearest English-language presentation
What this practice does
This is the practice the Buddha taught his own son. Two and a half millennia of practitioners have stayed alive on this one alone. It is so simple it sounds insulting, and so demanding it humbles every teacher who claims it. Start here. Stay here. The texts agree practitioners often find they never need anything else.
“Breathing in long, he knows: 'I breathe in long.' Breathing out long, he knows: 'I breathe out long.'”
How to practice
The instructions below run 10 to 45 minutes. Read through all the steps before you begin. The practice is not the goal; you are.
Sit upright with the spine self-supporting, hands resting easily.
Place attention at the nostrils or just below, wherever you can most easily feel the breath moving.
Notice the inhale as inhale, the exhale as exhale, no manipulation.
Count exhales from 1 to 10, then begin again at 1.
When attention drifts (it will), notice that it drifted, and return softly to 1.
The drifting-and-returning is the practice, not the unbroken counting.
What to notice, and when to stop
Best for which inner weather
According to Aria's comparative-traditions framework, this practice is the matched prescription for the following inner weathers. Tap any to read the full weather prescription.
Take the 12-question Inner Weather Reading → to find your dominant weather today.
Difficulty and duration
Duration
10 to 45 minutes
Difficulty
beginner
Category
Breath Practices
Crystal companion
In Crystal Cassandra's work, certain stones are the somatic companion to certain practices. The pairing is not magical; it is a steady weight in the palm that becomes part of the noticing.
Amethyst
Amethyst is the stone most associated with concentration practice in the modern Western canon, many practitioners place it within sight during sitting practice or hold a small piece in the lap. The classical association with the crown chakra makes it the conventional pairing for ānāpānasati. (Never leave Amethyst in direct sunlight, colour fades.)
Related practices
These practices complement Ānāpānasati (Mindfulness of Breathing), same category, or matched to overlapping inner weathers.
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Mindfulness Practice Library
Return to the full 25-practice library, organised by category and tradition.
Open →Inner Weather Reading
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