how deep should my breath be

jonny44

Ive experienced moments of quiet peace taking regular short breaths and i like it, but ive read in some places that i should try and breathe deep and slowly, but this is more difficult for me should i continue practicing with deep breathes, or can i achieve just as much with my regular breathing?

BhikkhuJayasara

you shouldn't TRY to breathe at all.. that may be part of your issue

when we observe the breath in meditation.. we observe the natural breath uncontrolled by us. the more calm and mindful you become the deeper and slower your breath, that happens naturally.

now that is not to say that you wont on some sort of conscious level attempt to control your breath, we all do that it's normal.. but we want to maintain mindfulness and observe how we try to control our breath and eventually we let go.

jonny44

thanx good advice

Citta

Yes...good advice indeed. Mindfulness of breathing should not be confused with pranayama or yogic practices...although they might be useful in health terms..
Anapanasati " mindfulness of breathing " as Jayantha says, uses the breath as a convenient object to focus on. Just as it is...we do not try to change it..but rather to become more and more aware of its subtitles in order to develop one pointedness of mind..

lobster

breathe deep and slowly, but this is more difficult for me

One of the benefits of chanting is a deepening of the breath. The deepening of the breath leads to calm, enabling easy observation of a calmer being.
It depends where you are on this spectrum. You might not even be able to be still physically and may need walking meditation or yoga to calm the body.
The mind/body complex interacts. In time and just using vipassana, the breath naturally deepens as mentioned. It depends on what you want and why. Many of us are in such a state of anxiety and stress, we actually have to learn how to breath . . .
http://www.livestrong.com/article/134267-how-can-deep-breathing-help-mindfulness/

how

One way of looking at it is, if your meditation develops with breathing that is just natural for you, that meditative process can more easily accompany you without artifice from the formal meditation into daily life. Meditation is not about doing anything more special than really being open and present for this moment.

jonny44

Absolutely when I 1st started my body was making the most noise... Tense, uncomfortable, but now I feel more @ ease, but thanx

Jason

jonny44 said:

Ive experienced moments of quiet peace taking regular short breaths and i like it, but ive read in some places that i should try and breathe deep and slowly, but this is more difficult for me should i continue practicing with deep breathes, or can i achieve just as much with my regular breathing?

Breathe however is comfortable and conducive to staying with the breath. As long as you're being mindful and aware of the breath, whether it's long or short, deep or shallow, you're doing it right.

DairyLama

jonny44 said:

Ive experienced moments of quiet peace taking regular short breaths and i like it, but ive read in some places that i should try and breathe deep and slowly, but this is more difficult for me should i continue practicing with deep breathes, or can i achieve just as much with my regular breathing?

The general advice is to breathe naturally, don't try to alter the breath. Most people find their breathing rate slows during meditation.

Rodrigo

@jonny44: Just deep enough to keep you alive