Chapter 6

Question 1

How do we feel/experience the breath?

Answer 1

• We need to have a direct encounter with the physical reality of the breath, rather than imagining how it is or how it ought to be. (That is, it should be a body experience, not a cognitive experience.)
• You need to feel the breath directly and become intimate with it, and with all the subtle changes that occur within the breath moment by moment.
• When you notice your breath is not very vivid, bring your awareness more into your body. Once you are more grounded, gently bring your attention to the details of the breath itself, such as the muscles involved in the rise and fall of the abdomen, the way in which the air seems to flow more strongly in one nostril than the other, etc.
• Instead of counting the breath you could instead visualise the breath.

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Question 2

What are some different theories for unusual physical experiences?

Answer 2

• They don’t usually arise once you are deeply concentrated; they are generally a sign that your concentration is starting to deepen.
• Some people suggest they are brought about by a subtle energy imbalance.
• Another view is that they happen as you make the transition from working with a mental construct (of the body and breath) to a more direct experience of them. (Your body image breaks down) as you widen your awareness and new information floods in from your senses.
• In any case, unusual physical experiences are usually a sign that your concentration is starting to deepen.

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Question 3

Why vary the count in the mindfulness of breathing?

Answer 3

• You should ask yourself if the four-stage approach to the mindfulness of breathing is still a help rather than a boring old script.
• You can keep the four stages but vary the way you count. For example, you could count to just 5, or 15, or 21, etc.
• Or if your concentration is week one day, you might spend more time in stage 1, using the counting to help you stay with the breath (and less time in stages 3 and 4)
• If you become concentrated quite quickly, you might pass rapidly through stages 1 and 2, and spend most of your time in stages 3 and 4.

In this way, you can use the four stages as tools rather than seeing them as set in stone.
It’s always interesting to experiment and see what you learn.

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Question 4

How (and why) can we let go of the four stages in the mindfulness of breathing?

Answer 4

• You can experiment with dropping the 4 stages altogether. You could just do the 3rd or even the 4th stage for the whole meditation.
• If you find these stages too hard, you could just as easily work with stage 1 or stage 2.

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Question 5

Where are some different places we can explore the breath in the body?

Answer 5

In the 3rd and 4th stages we usually follow the breath down into the lungs and back, and then on the area around the upper lip or just inside the nostrils. But there are several other ways of focusing on the breath in the body.

THE ABDOMEN:
Feel your abdomen rise and fall (move in and out) as you breathe.

THE HARA:
This is located 4 fingers width under your belly-button and is an important centre of awareness. Concentrating here gives a sense of being very anchored and helps draw energy away from the head. Therefore it helps to quieter the constant traffic of thoughts that compete for attention with the experience of the breath.

THE WHOLE BODY:
it can be interesting to feel the whole body and feels it’s role in our breathing process. We are often aware of the front of our bodies but not so much the back of our bodies.
It is like a wave - both physical and energetic - that passes through your body and affects every part. Tracking the breath in this way can bring your whole body alive.

BREATHING THROUGH YOUR SKIN:
You can develop the feeling that your skin is permeable, taking in energy through every pore. You may not be able to literally feel this happening, but you can have the sense that with each breath all your pores are opening and closing, drinking life from the environment.
You can use visualisation to help this process: you see the energy entering the body in the form of white or golden light. This is a very energising way to practice and is an antidote to sleepiness. It’s also helpful if you are feeling low or depressed.

BREATHING INTO TIGHT SPACES:
Deliberately breathe into a constricted area. You can imagine that the air is melting the tension away.

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