Allowing the breath to be comfortable, and have the sense that the breath is not just air coming in and out of the lungs. It’s all connected — your posture, the way you breathe, the way the blood flows through the body.

"[We're] staying with the breath as it comes in, staying with the breath as it goes out, doing what we can to make it easy to stay with the breath. Part of that involves allowing the breath to be comfortable, and having the sense that the breath is not just air coming in and out of the lungs. We learn how to perceive the breath as the whole-body energy flow. How do the different parts of the body feel during the in-breath? Do you tend to tense up around your neck, or in your shoulders? Can you breathe-in in a way that you don’t tense up? It’s all connected — your posture, the way you breathe, the way the blood flows through the body. You can explore these issues as a way of making it easier to stay here."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "A Post by the Ocean" (Meditations4)

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