 |
| Meditation on the Breath |
Meditation on the Breath
Meditating on the breath is one of the most basic, yet most powerful, approaches to meditation. The breath is the vital life force of the universe, and the vehicle of consciousness within us. Just sitting in quiet stillness and bringing the awareness completely to bear upon each inhalation and exhalation of the breath is one of the simplest ways of practicing meditation.
As experienced meditators know, however, simple does not necessarily mean easy. It is the nature of the mind to think, so even with the clear intent to focus awareness singlepointedly upon the breath, it is the nature of the mind to wander off to pursue other thoughts. The response to this natural tendency is simply to bring the awareness gently back to the breath when such interruptions occur.
Meditating on the breath is one of the most basic, yet most powerful, approaches to meditation. The breath is the vital life force of the universe, and the vehicle of consciousness within us. Just sitting in quiet stillness and bringing the awareness completely to bear upon each inhalation and exhalation of the breath is one of the simplest ways of practicing meditation.
As experienced meditators know, however, simple does not necessarily mean easy. It is the nature of the mind to think, so even with the clear intent to focus awareness singlepointedly upon the breath, it is the nature of the mind to wander off to pursue other thoughts. The response to this natural tendency is simply to bring the awareness gently back to the breath when such interruptions occur.
