I have been experimenting with some breathing tech., and recently and found a good way to access a form of second jhana.  It takes about 5-10 minutes. So I thought I would share.

1. Four repetitions of slow nasal breathing to the internal mantra  "So" (in breath) "Hom" (out breath).
2. Four repetitions of yogic alternate nostril breathing (Two fingers on foreheard, using thumb and middle finger to close and open nostrils (In through the first nostril, out through the second, and then in through the second and out through the first) x 4
3. Sufi purification breathing - four gentle repetitions of each element breath before moving on to the next one - in and out through the nose (4) , then in through the nose out through the mouth (4), then in through the mouth out through the mouth (4), then in through the mouth out through the nose (4), and finally back to a wispy in through the nose out through the nose (4).
4. Forced, (semi-holotropic) sufi breathing.  This time do each element breath once, and then repeat the whole cycle four times, so (NN, NM, MM, MN, NN)x4.  Breath hard and force it moderately fast- hyperventilate a bit.
5. Revert to meditative stomach breathing and let the hyperventiliation lighheadedness slowly transform into a well-establised second jhana over 15 to 20 seconds. Effortless non-conceptual blissfulness with overtones of rapture.

Let me know if it works!  And if is does, how does the phenomenology of this state compare with your other jhana experiences?

Love

Malcolm

Thanks for sharing, I just tried it out and liked it a lot.  Did you come up with it yourself or where does it come from?

It's similar to the Wim Hof method that I do, and I have noticed a similar thing in WHM where the lightheadedness energy can be solidified into jhana, sometimes also feeling a warm tingling in the chest area.  What I liked about your method was the concentrationo element of remembering the different combinations of breathing, it helps to keep the mind occupied.  And so do you do go through this whole cycle several times?  With WHM I will generally do 4-6 rounds.

Sorry for the late reply J W.  Glad you liked the breathing tech.  To answer your question, I just stumbled on this combination when preparing for a meditation and breathing seminar.  The individual components are all established techniques, but the combination is "new", although I doubt I'm the first to discover it.

Yes I have done Wim Hof too, and find it good preparation for access concentration, mindfulness of the body, and first jhana. But it WH is quite time consuming compared to this new combination.  I tried doing extra rounds as you suggested, but it didn't seem to make much difference.  If I were to add anything, it would be a fifth or sixth breath in each element of the cycle. 

Meanwhile, I find that just 10 minutes (3-4 minutes of breathing, 5-6 minutes of jhana) several times a week is very physically and emotionally beneficial.  I would be interested to hear what other people think.  Does it work?  Do you get into jhana (which one)?  Do you see the benefits in daily life? 

Happy to discuss my theory about this techinique too, if anyone is interested. 

Cheers

Malcolm