The breath is the standard object of meditation, because the breath is the function in the body that you can work with most directly to create a sense of ease and well-being through the way you breathe, through the way you think of the breath.

"We have to find an object of meditation that’s pleasing to the mind — something we feel comfortable with, something we find interesting. The breath is the standard one, because the breath is the function in the body that you can work with most directly to create a sense of ease and well-being through the way you breathe, through the way you think of the breath. That way, you can have a sense of well-being that goes down through the legs, goes down through the arms, goes down through the torso, goes around your head — enveloping the body, permeating through the body."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "A Healthy Ego"

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