Breath Awareness
The simplest way to stay sane
Breathing is the easiest thing to do.
When you stop thinking about it — it happens by itself!
It’s funny how complicated we can make life. Trust me, I am a champion. Over-thinking, over-wrought, under-performing.
Foolish wanderings in misery!
There’s a lot of info about breath meditation, some of it is great, some of it is just too complex. Whatever works for you is great. I am going to share what works for me.
A lot of different influences have gone into my ongoing breath awareness. I’m going to describe it as it is.
The world is always throwing curve balls at you. It’ll confuse and suprise you. But most of all, the mind gets stirred up and runs off with itself.
You’ll lie awake and worry about things that never happen!
Gently turn your attention to your breath.
What is it doing?
The ideal is to observe your breath. Don’t trouble it. No need to control. Watch it.
Like watching the snow falling on the trees.
You can watch it as it moves across your nostrils. The cool air inhaled, the warm air exhaled.
No problem!
Like watching a creek run by. Maybe a leaf is floating along, spinning slowly in the current.
You could reach out and touch it to adjust is movement, but there’s no requirement there.
The amazing thing about breathing is it is perfectly poised between conscious and unconconsious. It is both voluntary and involuntary.
You might start influencing your breath. That’s OK!
You can observe yourself doing that, too.
The mind is always piping up with something. What about this, what about that.
It’s fine. The mind is like a running creek also.
You can think: “Thinking.” When you find the mind has gone on without you.
“Hm, I wonder what it means that my paycheck was late, I wonder if the company is in trouble. I’d have to find another job. It wasn’t easy last time…” Goes the mind.
“Thinking,” you think to yourself. Not accusatory, just like a label. That there is thinking.
And then return the attention gently to the breath. Maybe the movement of your abdomen.
This is really helpful because until you get a little remove from your thinking, it’ll just carry you wherever.
Thinking is filled with false premises, false logic and false conclusions. But you’ll just accept them because they are there, affecting your emotions.
The breath is real, moment by moment. It’s realness and immediacy help to let the thinking go.
Thinking will diminish of its own accord the less you buy into it.
That’s why battling thinking is fruitless. It makes it stronger.
Just say: “thinking” and let it go.
Pay attention to something real for a moment.
Breathing.
