You can perceive the breath as an energy field that picks up energy not only in the lung area but also anywhere in the body. This provides a much more comfortable way of breathing, less constricted, less forceful, and more nourishing for the body.

"You learn as you focus on the breath that there are different ways of perceiving the breath. You can perceive it simply as air coming in and out of the lungs, and the lungs are kind of like a big bellows. You suck the air in and you force the air out. That’s one perception of breathing. But then you can perceive the breath as an energy field that picks up energy not only in the lung area but also anywhere in the body. The whole nervous system gets involved in the breathing process. And if you hold that perception in mind for a while, you begin to see that it really does work that way. This provides a much more comfortable way of breathing, less constricted, less forceful, and more nourishing for the body. This too makes you more sensitive to the role of perception."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Enlightenment is Not a Hot Dog"

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