Breath

[phoenix666]

I seem to come across this theme again and again. so many practices seem to be centered about breathing...why? what is it, that makes it so special? is it really a door to the inner self? the portal to Truth?

I was just wondering what you all think about it or what your experiences are with watching your breath?

 

[phoenix666]

thank you for your insights @Shiva

there probably should be a difference, but I have to admit that I find it very difficult to watch my breath without influencing it. 

I also noticed that sometimes watching my breath makes me very agitated or generally giddy and sometimes it's very relaxing and makes me feel grounded. 

[Joseph Maynor]

To me breathing is important when I’m meditating to kind of get my mind and body harmonized and re-integrated.  When you meditate, you wanna be reconnecting with your body.  Breathing is part and parcel of that.  If you pay attention to this re-integration process — you can actually see it happening.  It lasts a couple few seconds/minutes.  The mind has sort of forgotten about the body and those bits of awareness need to be brought back into consciousness.  Sometimes there are little sparks here too as this process happens — little jiggers of awareness bubbles, like carbonation zapping out.

Edited October 8, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[phoenix666]

@Joseph Maynor yeah, exactly, it feels like becoming present, centered and just aware again!

@Shiva everything gets better with practice I noticed  thank you, I will give it a try!

[Nahm]

@phoenix666 the fact that our breathing air to sustain life is illusory is kind of a mind blower.

[phoenix666]

1 hour ago, Nahm said:

@phoenix666 the fact that our breathing air to sustain life is illusory is kind of a mind blower.

wait, I don't get that

[Nahm]

@phoenix666 lol. I hear ya. I never would have until an experience. But, ya...air sustaining your life is nothing more than an illusion, because you’re not alive, nor do you die, nor were you born. There is no you in that regard, at all. Just the One imagining a shitload of stuff like atoms, fields, emotions, and.... air. The One imagines a brain with such a limited imagination that it has trouble realizing the Truth. It’s not reality. Air is atoms. Your body is atoms. Your thoughts are atoms. Atoms are not actually anything. Take a deep breath right now, and exhale. Your chemical, atomic make up just changed and so did the make up or content of the air around you. Are you the same ‘you’ after that exchange? Did you just inhale you? Did you just exhale some of you? No. That would be silly, right? There is no you, just some idea or loosely conceptualized carved out amount of atoms that you’ve been referring to as you. That thing you refer to as you, literally changes with every single breathe, because it is not a thing at all, even in simple physical terms. The word ‘illusion’ fits well, because you are believing it. The mind blower is when you realize you are the illusionist. 

[jhmarrio]

@Shiva @phoenix666

I too find it difficult to observe breath without influencing it...

I find in my practice that this is tied into observing breath vs thinking about breath. As soon I start thinking about breath, my mind wants to control it and I get away from observation. This happens within a split second, and only when I acknowledge (i.e. observe) that I am now in thought, can I return to the breath.

This is much easier said than done though  

[phoenix666]

@Nahm the most logical explanation of an illogical Truth I see, I really grasp it on an intellectual level. now I'd like to experience it...I'm in for a long journey! can't wait for my mind to be completely blown 

@jhmarrio yeah, exactly! It's similar to the subtle difference between 'being aware of x' and 'thinking about x'. being aware is just being, nothing else. no control, no judgement. it's very pure and clear, surrender. as soon as the thinking comes in, there goes the judging, attaching value, rationalization and all that mental masturbation stuff