Try to get as interested as you can in the breath. That helps cut through any of your fascination with going back and thinking about things of the day, things of tomorrow, all those worlds that the mind creates.

"We use the breath as an anchor for the mind to stay in the present moment. We try to make the breath as comfortable as we can to make the present moment a nice place to stay. If the breath feels labored — if it feels too tight, too short, too long — you’re not going to want to stay. It’ll be one more reason to leave. So watch for a while to see what kind of breathing feels best for the body right now. What are the body’s needs? When you breathe in, start asking yourself questions about the process of breathing in, breathing out: When you breathe in, where does the impulse to breathe in start? And how do you know when to stop and rest and then let the breath go out? What are the sensations that tell you that? Where are they in the body?

After all, there’s a lot more to the breath than just the air coming in and out through the nose. There’s the whole movement of energy in the body. It comes in waves over the body. Try to find where the waves begin, where they end, and then how they begin again. In fact, the movement of energy in the body is how you directly experience the breath. And you can feel it anywhere. Try to notice where you feel it. You can feel it most prominently in different parts of the body at different times. This is something very individual with each of us.

So put aside your preconceived notions of which parts of the body are involved with the breath and which ones are not, and just notice: Where do you feel it — the breathing process? And does it feel comfortable? Does it feel open and spacious, or does it feel tight and constricted? You can experiment with different kinds of breathing, but try to experiment in a way that doesn’t add more constriction. Just pose the question in the mind: What would feel good right now, longer breathing or shorter? How about faster or slower? Heavier or lighter? And see which direction the body seems to incline, and then watch it for a while. If it really does feel good, keep up that rhythm as long as it feels good. Try to get as interested as you can in the breath. That helps cut through any of your fascination with going back and thinking about things of the day, things of tomorrow, all those worlds that the mind creates."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Behind the Scenes"

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