Deep Meditation - breathing almost 'stops'. Samadhi?

[Intuition]

Hello all, it's been a while.

For quite some time now, my meditations have led to something, and I'm still trying to figure out what it is. I'd say it happens now about 50% of the time I meditate.

Basically, as I meditate on the breath, one pointedly, eventually, my concentration builds, and my breathing becomes such that I am hardly breathing at all. I think I barely inhale. It is ever so slight. Almost to the point of the breath 'stopping'.

Then, something strange happens - my entire bodily awareness feels like it 'slips' and 'sinks' away, until I am only left aware of sort of a silent, black void.

Also, sometimes, when this happens, I am aware of lots of heat. My head and ears start to feel very 'hot'. Is this some sort of kundalini phenomena? I'm not aware of any energy shooting up the spine or anything like that, but I've heard of 'heat' related to kundalini before.

[Jhanananda]

Thank your, Intuition, for posting your experiences with meditation.  When we lose awareness of the breath is be when we have arrived at the 4th jhana.  This is further supported by you arriving at a black void, which has been reported by others here.  The black void can be the arising of the 5th jhana.  Keep up the regular practice, because it seems to be paying off for you.