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Mindfulness of breath

ZaniaZania Explorer
in Meditation

I have been meditating average of 1 hour twice a day for over 5 years now. Before that my practice was quite inconsistent. What I have noticed is that when I sit now, I am usually aware of my breath the entire hour. Even when there is thinking happening I still maintain awareness of breath. I dont very often get lost in proliferating thought to the point where I forget the breath. I was thinking about driving and how we can drive a car without crashing but at the same time the mind can be somewhere else. It's kind of like that except that I don't forget that I'm driving.

ZeropegembaraJeroenDairyLama

Comments

  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    edited August 2016

    Sounds good. Hope you'll continue.

  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran

    Aware of your breath the entire time...

    Much better than I can do. I still catch myself more often than I thought I would by now.

    Zania
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Yes, it's very difficult to remember the breath when it's an automatic reflexive reaction, and we do it day in, night out, without HAVING to think about it....

    Every now and then, I actually consciously THINK about breathing deep and slow; but to have a continual focus on it during the day, truly is a challenging prospect...

    Zania
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    @Zania said:
    I have been meditating average of 1 hour twice a day for over 5 years now. Before that my practice was quite inconsistent. What I have noticed is that when I sit now, I am usually aware of my breath the entire hour. Even when there is thinking happening I still maintain awareness of breath. I dont very often get lost in proliferating thought to the point where I forget the breath. I was thinking about driving and how we can drive a car without crashing but at the same time the mind can be somewhere else. It's kind of like that except that I don't forget that I'm driving.

    @Zania have you started to use this awareness in your everyday activities? You mentioned in one of your posts that you have anxiety issues, have you found this ability to stay focused on your breath during meditation, helpful in any way when anxiety begins to arise ?

    lobsterrohit
  • ZaniaZania Explorer

    @Shoshin said:

    @Zania said:
    I have been meditating average of 1 hour twice a day for over 5 years now. Before that my practice was quite inconsistent. What I have noticed is that when I sit now, I am usually aware of my breath the entire hour. Even when there is thinking happening I still maintain awareness of breath. I dont very often get lost in proliferating thought to the point where I forget the breath. I was thinking about driving and how we can drive a car without crashing but at the same time the mind can be somewhere else. It's kind of like that except that I don't forget that I'm driving.

    @Zania have you started to use this awareness in your everyday activities? You mentioned in one of your posts that you have anxiety issues, have you found this ability to stay focused on your breath during meditation, helpful in any way when anxiety begins to arise ?

    Hi shoshin, I am getting better at it but it's still very challenging when In the throes of difficult emotions or anxiety. Its very hard to accept where I am at in those moments but I'm definitely moving in the right direction.

    Shoshin
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran

    @Zania said:
    I have been meditating average of 1 hour twice a day for over 5 years now. Before that my practice was quite inconsistent. What I have noticed is that when I sit now, I am usually aware of my breath the entire hour. Even when there is thinking happening I still maintain awareness of breath. I dont very often get lost in proliferating thought to the point where I forget the breath. I was thinking about driving and how we can drive a car without crashing but at the same time the mind can be somewhere else. It's kind of like that except that I don't forget that I'm driving.

    That's a very solid practice. Some people talk about the breath being an "anchor" in meditation, which I think gives a good feel for it.

  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran

    As someone who breaths :p I find the breath and increasingly the body and the 'external' world are great gauges of our interior ...

    It is the anchors and focus that maintains our bodhi being BUT it is Being that is our ... [insert cliche of choice]

    We are on a path. Give it your all Y’all ...
    Yours in the Dharma, Crusty S. Lobster

    Bunks
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