Breathing and Meditation

Breathing is an integral part of meditation. Proper
breathing is required in many practices of meditation and
is therefore an important tool to be possessed by people
who wish to perform this activity.

The practice of proper breathing while meditating helps a
person relax while doing the exercise. Proper breathing is
achieved by inhaling through the nose, letting the
diaphragm (not the chest) expand and exhaling through the
mouth.

Doing this slows down a person’s heart rate which leads to
a relaxed mood.

Breathing also plays a significant role when a person aims
to improve his/her concentration. This is done by focusing
the mind on the act of taking in air and feeling it pass
through the nostrils until the air is finally exhaled
through the mouth.

While this may sound easy, it can be quite challenging when
done for the first time.

Then there’s the method for increasing a person’s
awareness. Just like the concentration technique mentioned
above, it involves putting one’s attention to his/her
breathing.

But instead of focusing on the act of inhaling and exhaling
air, it is the sensation of breathing where the person
trains his/her thoughts. The feeling of the air passing
through the nose, filling the lungs and expanding the
diaphragm is the sensation that a person should look for.

It helps him/her feel how it is to be truly alive.

This article has shown how important breathing is in the
practice of meditation. It is no wonder, therefore, that
the two are inseparable activities that a student of
meditation should learn.