Hey Wholeness,
This is another add-on recording to my breath course.
It combines questions,
Perceptions,
And some practice ideas.
The intent is to take this practice of breath awareness to the next level.
What if the breath could be programmed or encoded to automatically bring forth optimal awareness and remembrance of breath effortlessly and continuously?
How can the heart-mind support knowing the breath in order to support the heart-mind?
And how can knowing the breath support the heart-mind in order to support knowing the breath?
Basically,
How can the breath and heart-mind support each other?
What's in the way of being with and knowing the breath?
Especially if there's a lack of urgency.
How do you expect to get the most out of this if you don't commit entirely and put everything into it for the allotted time?
Completely,
Totally,
Fully,
All-in,
Zero excuses,
No turning back,
Only this one choice without compromise,
Relentlessly,
Unwaveringly.
When unifying with the breath is the soul meditation,
Everything else are mere petty trifles,
Not just distractions.
Even if you're actively engaged in diverting nuclear war,
That's how important and precious the time you set aside for this practice is.
If whatever phenomena that presents itself can't be left as it is,
Can it be effortlessly and instantly transformed into being with and knowing the breath?
And then,
If this is all too tight,
How do I enjoy this to the fullest?
How do I make the breath,
Awareness of the breath,
The most enjoyable to the maximum?
Breathing,
Observing,
Breathing,
The breath observing breath.
Breath is such a great mystery,
I mean,
What is it really?
How is this happening?
Breath is the predominant prevailing force in this human life.
It is constantly happening whether we want it to or not.
We don't really understand the depths of where it comes from and how it works.
It is not concerned with what we think of it,
Whether we approve of it or disapprove of it.
Its strength is in its persistence,
Nourishing and providing life constantly,
Consistently,
Patiently,
And unrelenting,
Yet non-invasive.
Even when it may seem to go into hiding from awareness,
The breath is still operating this way.
Where do we prioritize the breath?
Where is it on our list of priorities?
How important is it in daily life to keep continuous awareness of the breath?
And especially in formal sitting practice,
When it is our only singular object of meditation,
Are we continually prioritizing it at the top?
And if not,
Why not?
Breath is on autopilot a lot of the times,
Supporting in the background all other experience and activity,
But what if that was vice versa?
What if all of our experience and activity actually supported the awareness of the breath?
Each half breath a matter of life and death?
No?
Then report back after missing just one half breath,
Either the in-breath or the out-breath.
Continually aware of the effect and affect of breath on the mind-body-heart.
Leverage searching to locate the breath again and again amongst myriad phenomena.
We can really search for our car keys when we've lost them,
And we can scour the internet for certain kinds of information,
Or if we lose something dear to us,
We can search and search relentlessly for it.
How can we use this tendency of searching to keep locating the breath again and again,
No matter what else is going on,
And be aware of it?
What if we were consumed by our breath like we were by our phones?
Invite experience to cohere with and envelop the breath.
How is it to cross the threshold,
Then know the breath directly with the mind instead of with the nervous system?
Meaning,
What is it like of knowing the breath with feeling and sensation,
But then we can switch over to knowing it directly with the mind?
Breath is the very thing this whole thing is.
Allow awareness to deeply root into the breath.
Consider breath a navigator,
And with this,
May your practice of being aware of the breath continue progressing for the well-being of yourself,
Others,
And all beings everywhere.
