Building on the practice developed in the Satipatthāna Meditation program, Mindfulness of Breathing offers eight weeks of focused study and practice of the 16 steps of the Ānāpānasati-sutta, guided by the teachings of renowned scholar and monastic, Bhikkhu Anālayo.
We are delighted to introduce New Participant and Returning Participant Cohorts for Mindfulness of Breathing: Summer 2026! If this will be your first time taking the BCBS Mindfulness of Breathing program, please select New Participant Application. If you have completed the BCBS Mindfulness of Breathing program in the past, please select Returning Participant Application.
July 4 - August 29, 2026
May 25, 2026 (5:00 PM EST)
8 weeks
10-12 hours per week
Intensive
1) Having an established mindfulness practice
2) Having either earned a certificate of completion from our online intensive program, Satipatthāna Meditation, or participated in the Satipatthāna Meditation program online/residentially with Bhikkhu Anālayo at BCBS or another center.
• Video lectures
• Audio guided meditations
• Reading assignments
• Sutta study
• Discussion forums
• Review questions
• Weekly 90 minute live small group meetings, including:
• Break-out practice and sutta study discussions
• Moderated weekly written discussion forums
Mindfulness of Breathing is an eight-week, in-depth study of the sixteen steps of the Ānāpānasati-sutta, combining tranquility and insight in the form of practice that aims to cultivate the awakening factors. This program thereby builds on the practice, particularly of the awakening factors, developed in the Satipatthāna Meditation program.
Each week, participants will engage with recorded guided meditations and video lectures by Bhikkhu Anālayo, complete reading assignments from Mindfulness of Breathing: A Practice Guide, attend a 90-minute weekly group meeting, and contribute to a written online forum.
Certification Track:
Timeline:
Applications Open: April 6, 2026
Applications Close: May 25, 2026 (5:00 PM EST)
Acceptance Notification: June 1, 2026
Registration: June 1 – June 26, 2026
Orientation Week: June 27 – July 4, 2026
Program Dates: July 4 – August 29, 2026
Please note:
Small Group meeting times and teachers will be available by February 2026.
| Pre-Course | Welcome Module, Orientation, and Access to Week 1 (Preliminaries) |
| Week 1 | Preliminaries |
| Week 2 | Contemplation of the Body (1st tetrad) |
| Week 3 | Contemplation of Feeling Tones (2nd tetrad) |
| Week 4 | Contemplation of the Mind - Part 1 (3rd tetrad) |
| Week 5 | Contemplation of the Mind - Part 2 (3rd tetrad) |
| Week 6 | Contemplation of Dharmas (4th tetrad) |
| Week 7 | Arousing, Cultivating, and Balancing the Awakening Factors |
| Week 8 | Inclining towards Awakening and Conclusion |
This program requires considerable commitment from participants and is not a self-study program. We require attendance at weekly virtual meetings as well as completion of writing prompts and program assessments. The required time commitment is roughly 10-12* hours per week.
Weekly individual participation includes:
90 minutes of a small group video meeting**
watching/listening to a 20-minute video lecture by Bhikkhu Anālayo
daily personal Mindfulness of Breathing practice (Bhikkhu Anālayo’s recorded guided meditations will be provided)
completing study activities
contributing to the group discussion forum
reading one chapter per week in the core text, Mindfulness of Breathing: A Practice Guide by Bhikkhu Anālayo
*Participants are strongly encouraged to read Mindfulness of Breathing: A Practice Guide in advance of the program (later referring back to the book as a reference/refresher for each weekly topic). Otherwise, participants should anticipate an additional 2-3 hours per week for reading during the program.
**The small group meeting is the only program component that happens at a fixed time, and meetings will occur on the same day/time each week. Small Group meeting times and teachers will be available by February 2026. Applicants will select their available times on the application. Attendance is mandatory.
The program fee is $450. In keeping with the tradition of teachers offering the Buddhadharma out of a spirit of generosity, program fees do not include compensation for teachers. There will be an opportunity to support your teacher(s) at the end of the program.
We understand that personal circumstances may require you to cancel your registration. In these cases, please contact us right away. If you cancel before the program starts, you are eligible for a full refund minus a $100 administrative fee. Registration fees are nonrefundable after the program starts.
We are committed to providing a spiritual home and resource for all on the path to awakening. We do our best to ensure that everyone who comes here feels truly welcome, respected, and safe, whatever their age, race, ethnicity, sex (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, body type, disability, religion, or political viewpoint. We recognize this is ongoing work and invite you to reach out to us at contact@buddhistinquiry.org with suggestions and feedback as to how we can more fully embody our aspiration to be a refuge for all.
He is a scholar-monk and the author of numerous books on meditation and early Buddhism, such as Satipatthāna: The Direct Path to Realization, Perspectives on Satipatthāna, and Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide. He is a Faculty Member at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, having retired from being a professor at the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Hamburg. His main area of academic research is early Buddhism, with a special interest in the topics of meditation and women in Buddhism. At the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, he regularly participates in online programs and undertakes research into meditation-related themes.
Bhikkhu Anālayo offers his teaching for this program through the video lectures, guided meditations, and readings. There will be no live contact with Bhikkhu Anālayo.
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