What kind of perception of the breath gives you energy? Hold that perception in mind until you get a sense of fullness, or rapture. If you start out already with too much energy, you have to simply calm things down right from the start.

"So hold helpful perceptions in mind. What kind of perception of the breath gives you energy? Hold that perception in mind until you get a sense of fullness, or rapture. The Pali word for rapture here, piti, can also be translated as refreshment: simply feeling refreshed by the way you breathe, by the way you’re sitting here, by the way you’re relating to your body. Then you can allow things to grow calm.

Now, if you start out already with too much energy, you have to avoid adding more energy. That’s when you have to simply calm things down right from the start."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Calm"

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