Breathing is an essential element of all meditation techniques. Attention to breathing is critical in most forms of meditation. It’s so basic to the practice that most newcomers to meditation will spend their first lesson just learning how to breathe properly.
The reason that proper breathing is so important to the meditation experience is because it makes relaxing so much easier. The correct way to breathe is to inhale through the nose. Focus on expanding the diaphragm, not the chest. Then exhale through the mouth. When you learn to do this easily, it will slow down your heart rate, which leads to an overall state of relaxation. While it may sound simple, it can actually be rather challenging the first time you give it a try.
Learning to breathe properly also plays an important part in improving your ability to concentrate. There is a repetitive and mindful process of inhaling, feeling the air move though your nose and into your lungs, then causing it to exit though the mouth. When you really focus on the process, you will see a remarkable improvement in your ability to concentrate in other areas of your life as well.
Proper breathing techniques are also useful for enhancing your awareness, both of yourself and your surroundings. Similar to the breathing exercise mentioned above, awareness meditation techniques involve focusing your attention exclusively on your breathing. However, you don’t concentrate on the acts of inhaling and exhaling. Rather, focus your mind on the sensation of breathing. Note the feeling of the air moving through your nose and filling your lungs as your diaphragm expands. By focusing intently on these sensations, you will have an amazing sense of your vitality.
If you give these two exercises a try, you will quickly realize the significance of proper breathing in the practice of meditation techniques. It should become quite clear to you that you can’t meditate successfully if you haven’t learned to breathe mindfully. But once you learn, your meditation experience will be greatly enhanced.
