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Osho Meditation: Be Aware When Breathing Stops

Be Aware When Breathing Stops

This intimate technique from the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra, echoed in Osho’s language, turns your attention to the two silent turning points of every breath. The in-breath moves down, the out-breath rises up—between these arcs there is a natural,...

Category: Tantra Duration: 30 minutes

This intimate technique from the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra, echoed in Osho’s language, turns your attention to the two silent turning points of every breath. The in-breath moves down, the out-breath rises up—between these arcs there is a natural, effortless pause when breathing stops by itself. In that infinitesimal stillness, the teaching says, beneficence is revealed: a spacious, benevolent silence in which the small self loosens its grip.

Practice is disarmingly simple: remain natural, do not hold or control, and become vividly aware of the gap just after inhalation and just after exhalation. For a fraction of a moment, there is no breathing—only a universal pause. Rest your awareness there. As you attune to these moments, the mind settles, and the felt sense of “I” softens in the open quiet that contains both movement and stillness.


Phase Instructions

Core Benefits

  • Reveals beneficence in moments of stillness
  • Provides a spacious, benevolent silence
  • Loosens the grip of the small self
  • Allows the mind to settle
  • Softens the felt sense of 'I' in open quiet

Common Questions

What is the main focus of this meditation technique?

The main focus is to become vividly aware of the natural pauses in breathing after inhalation and exhalation without controlling the breath.

How complex is the practice?

The practice is disarmingly simple, as it involves remaining natural and becoming aware of the gap between breaths.

What should one do during the universal pause?

Rest your awareness in the universal pause after inhalation and exhalation, where no breathing occurs.