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In a chance I had read 'Mindfulness in Plain English' by the Buddhist monk Venerable H.Gunaratana Mahathera.

  • It says "After joining inhaling with exhaling,fix your mind on the point where you feel your inhaling and exhaling breath touching.Inhale and exhale as one single breath moving in and out touching or rubbing the rims of your nostrills."

  • I have heard about different meditation practices and I doubt that there is no such a point is drawn in Chakra Meditation.

    Then,

  • What is the purpose of concentrating on the rims of the nostrils ?

  • Where I have to concentrate during meditation as a beginner?

  • And could you explain the point , "rims of nostrills" ?

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The instruction is to feel the touch or strike of the breath/wind/air against the flesh of the inner nostril, where it is most sensitive. If this touch in the nostril is not clear to your mind, then place your finger gently against your upper lip below your nostril and feel the touch of the wind/breath against your finger. Keep your finger there until you can feel the breath against the nostril & finger so the in-breaths & out-breaths are discerned/recognized clearly & unconfused. It is important that the mind here is unconfused about when the breath is coming in and when the breath is going out.

This practise narrows the awareness & thinking of the mind. By doing so, it also makes the breathing very fine & calm , which makes the mind calm. This is the purpose of the practise.

However, for the beginner, this deliberate narrowing of mental focus & refining of the breath can eventually make the mind sleepy.

A beginner can experiment with & practise this method of observing the touch of the in & out breaths at the nostrils. It can bring good results of calmness.

However, if the mind becomes sleepy or 'sinking', the beginner should open their awareness and return to observing the breath within the body, particularly the flow of the breathing & its movement in the throat, chest &/or abdomen.

Again, if the flow & movement is lost here, place a hand on the abdomen & another hand on the chest to clearly feel & know in-breathes & out-breathes in an unconfused manner.

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  • Still I am confused about the term/points - 'rims of nostrills' and 'inner nostrills'.It would be more helpful, if you post a diagram with these points marked.Thank you.
    – Michel
    Commented Jul 14, 2017 at 7:09
  • A quote: "Generally, we use the furthest point in the nose where the breath makes contact, which is usually at the tip. That point is the easiest and most simple to guard, unless you have a hooked nose that comes down low and a high upper lip. Then you might feel the breath’s touch just above the upper lip. For each of us the point will be in a different place, depending on the shape and structure of each nose and lip". dhammatalks.net/Books3/…
    – Dhamma Dhatu
    Commented Jul 14, 2017 at 10:26
  • @Michel You must find the place that is most sensitive to you. The place can be in the upper nostril; or along the whole inside front of the nose; or on the upper lip. What is important is to know when the breath strikes the nose when breathing in; and when the breath strikes the nostril or lip when breathing out. The mind remains at one point, noting the striking of the in & out breathes against the skin of the inner nostril.
    – Dhamma Dhatu
    Commented Jul 14, 2017 at 10:29
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    Thank you for such an informative advice.Now it's time for me to find a point where both inhaling and exhaling breath touches! 👍
    – Michel
    Commented Jul 14, 2017 at 10:49

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