There’s a sense of ease that comes from breathing well. You can work with the rhythm of the breath. Or you can work from the outside in. In other words, think of the breath energy flowing in your arms and legs, as you relax around the process of breathing.

"When you feed the mind well, there’s a sense of ease that comes from breathing well, and this can be done in lots of different ways. You can work with the rhythm of the breath. Or you can work from the outside in. In other words, think of the breath energy flowing in your arms and legs, as you relax around the process of breathing. Relax your arms, relax your legs. Start with the feet. Start with the hands and come into the center, and the in-and-out breath will find a good rhythm on its own.

But it is something you fabricate. In other words, you do work on this. You adjust the condition so that it feels good breathing in, feels good breathing out, it feels good just sitting here, inhabiting your body, inhabiting the form of the body. Allow yourself to gain an appreciation for this level of pleasure, this level of refreshment. As the Buddha says, you indulge in it, and it helps you to stabilize the mind. As the mind gets more stable, it reaches a point where it doesn’t need that much of the pleasure, refreshment, or rapture or whatever.

It’s like drinking your fill of water. When you’ve had enough and you don’t need water any more, then you can be equanimous about the water. The water is there if you ever need it, but you’ll be equanimous about it in the meantime. This kind of equanimity comes with a sense of fullness. This is the kind of equanimity you can feed on."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "An Equanimity You Can Feed On"

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