You can stay with awareness in any part of the body as the breath comes in and goes out

"I mentioned one of the drawbacks of the phrase, “Watch your breath,” which is that it assumes that the breath is out there in front of your eyes, when it’s actually behind your eyes. Another one of the drawbacks, though, is that you get the sense that the knowledge has to be up in your head. Actually, there’s an awareness in your hands, in your feet, in every part of the body. You can let the awareness stay there, the awareness of the breath coming in, going out. You don’t have to bring it up into the head. The awareness of the breath in the knee is in the knee; the awareness of the breath in the foot is in the foot. Then try to connect those spots of awareness."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "For a Routine That Isn't Routine"

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