There are some detailed excercises listed on the Vipassana Dhura website. We are concerned here with the "rising, falling" exercise:
If you choose a sitting position, place your hands in your lap, palms facing upward, the right hand on top of the left. If doing the exercise lying down, put your hands on the abdomen, one on top of the other, or at your sides. Close your eyes.
Next, direct your attention to the abdomen, an inch or two above the navel. Find the point that seems clearest to you. Don't actually look at the spot; just place your mind there.
As you breathe in, the abdomen expands; as you breathe out, it contracts. In meditation these movements are called, respectively, "rising" and "falling." They never cease to alternate as long as you live.
As the abdomen rises, observe the motion from beginning to end with your mind. When the abdomen falls, do the same. That's it. Just keep watching the rising-falling movements. You don't have to do anything to them. Just know the movements without judging or describing them.
Restrict your attention to what is occurring in the immediate present moment. Don't think about the past or future— don't think about anything at all. Let go of worries, concerns, and memories. Empty your mind of everything except the movements occurring right now. But don't think about the motions; just know them.
Next, direct your attention to the abdomen, an inch or two above the navel. Find the point that seems clearest to you. Don't actually look at the spot; just place your mind there.
As you breathe in, the abdomen expands; as you breathe out, it contracts. In meditation these movements are called, respectively, "rising" and "falling." They never cease to alternate as long as you live.
As the abdomen rises, observe the motion from beginning to end with your mind. When the abdomen falls, do the same. That's it. Just keep watching the rising-falling movements. You don't have to do anything to them. Just know the movements without judging or describing them.
Restrict your attention to what is occurring in the immediate present moment. Don't think about the past or future— don't think about anything at all. Let go of worries, concerns, and memories. Empty your mind of everything except the movements occurring right now. But don't think about the motions; just know them.
Concentration forms the base for anything we do with our mind, and meditation is no exception. Take a few minutes out, close your eyes and try it now if you are unfamiliar with it.
Most likely, if you don't train your concentration in some way, you'll find yourself surprised at how difficult it is to just stay with the breath. The untrained mind disobeys and gets quickly distracted. In ancient Indian texts they referred to it as the "monkey mind":
Keeping your mind on the rising-falling movements may not be as easy as you think. Be patient and don't judge yourself, even if the mind wanders out often. Remember that you're learning a new skill. When learning to play the piano, for example, you wouldn't expect perfection right away. Likewise, you shouldn't expect it in meditation. Don't get discouraged if your progress seems slow. As long as you stick with the practice, results are sure to come.
This is an exercise that even senior meditators continue to practice. By forcing our mind to adhere to our will over time, we strengthen our willpower.
If you practice this even for 1 minute every day, I guarantee you will learn things about yourself you never knew.
If you practice it for a long time, I guarantee it will change you in ways you never expected.
