Allow every part of the body to have some breath energy so you get a visceral sense that the breath is a good companion to have on this path you're following.

"For meditation to go well, you have to like what you’re doing — because, after all, it’s a big job: working through all the many habits by which you create suffering for yourself.

So it’s not something to do in a weekend retreat and then think you’ve got it all done. It’s a long-term process. And if you like what you’re doing, it goes a lot more easily. This is why when you’re meditating you want to become friends with the breath. Don’t regard your meditation object as your opponent. Remember all that the breath has done for you. It’s kept you alive all these years. It’s what keeps the body and the mind together.

And even right here in the present moment, the breath can give a sense of pleasure if you allow it to. So explore that possibility. Get so that the idea of the breath as your friend is not simply an abstract idea. It’s an immediate, visceral experience. You gain a sense of familiarity, a sense of liking the breath, of knowing how to use the breath to nourish the body. And whatever part of the body feels like it could use some breath energy, let it have some, no matter where in the body it may to be. No matter how the breath is going to come in or how it’s going to go out, allow every part of the body to have some breath energy so you get a strong visceral sense that the breath is a good companion to have on this path you’re following."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "The Four Bases of Success"

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