The part of the brain that processes the sense of smell,
The olfactory region,
Is part of the limbic system in the brain.
Since the limbic system also is responsible for emotions,
Including fear and anxiety,
Can the meditation somehow inhibit the activity of the amygdala,
Which is located within the limbic system?
I haven't read any research that says that the meditation or concentration of the breath actually suppresses the activity of the amygdala.
The meditation is not only the expression of the brain,
But also the activity of the brain.
When we focus on the breath,
It doesn't have anything to do directly with your sense of smell.
When we take in information from the outside,
We take in information from the outside.
We take in through six senses.
So we look at it through the vision,
The light and the shape and the color of an object.
And there's hearing,
Which picks up sounds and noises.
And olfactory,
Which is the sense of smell.
And also through the tongue,
The sense of taste.
And of course the sense of touch through the skin.
And also what we call the sense of the thought,
The cognitive sense to make sense of the other all.
So when we take in information and quote unquote know something,
We do that through these six senses,
Six capacities that we have.
So when we say we're focusing on the breath,
We are mostly utilizing the sense of touch.
So when we say you are recognizing your breath or you are aware of your breath,
What senses do we use to become aware?
Because we can't see breath.
And unless you're panting and your breath is rough,
You can't hear your breath either.
And to know that you're breathing is not a sense of smell you're using.
Of course,
The sense of taste doesn't come into play.
So basically being aware of the breath means that it is just tactile sense that senses the current of the air as it goes in and out of your nostrils.
Of course,
If you are focusing on your abdomen,
The movement of your body,
Of your chest rising and falling as you breathe is also a way to recognize it through a sense of touch.
But since we are trying to focus on the edge of our nose to recognize our breath,
To be aware,
You use that sense of touch to do that.
And since a soft or smooth breath really creates little really tiny eddies of currents going in and out,
You really have to focus to be aware of that breath.
And in that state of heightened focus,
It's not just the breath you become aware of.
You become aware of little senses,
Little information coming in from other parts of your body.
So if you're somewhat annoyed,
You'll recognize that your breath quickens a little.
And you become attuned to the little temperature changes in your body.
And you become even aware of subtle shifts in your mood.
If you get elevated,
Your emotions run high a little,
You recognize it immediately.
And if you're able to recognize immediately little changes in your sensations or your emotional state,
Then it gives you the wherewithal to be able to prevent your emotions running too high or too low.
If you don't have that ability,
If you allow your emotions to get too high or too low to bring it back into control,
It takes a lot of energy and creates a lot of stress.
And stress is a form of suffering.
But if you're able to get control or extinguish that emotion at the point of emergence,
Then you don't need to feel that stress.
And to do that,
You need the capacity to recognize it as soon as it emerges.
And that's what we're practicing through meditation.
To do that,
Your body and mind needs to be relaxed and comfortable.
Do not try to exert an effort to do so.
Because if you exert,
You tense up and that quickens your breath.
And that prevents you,
Interferes with your ability to sense at a really heightened focus level.
So in a state of calm and peace and comfort,
Focus your mind wholly on the edge of your nose and be aware of the breath.
So a lot of things interfere with us,
Of course.
But we're practicing so that we can focus in spite of all these interferences.
But this is difficult to carry out in everyday life.
That's why we're practicing continually and consistently.
And don't despair or give up just because you can't do it.
And do not feel too good about yourself,
Just you managed to do it once or twice.
And if you managed to achieve that state,
Then continue doing so.
If you haven't,
Then try and try again.
It needs to calm and peace.
Focus on the edge of your nose and recognize the breath.
And just continue doing so.
If you lose it,
Regain that focus and do so again.
And you may question yourself,
What good is this for?
What's the ultimate objective?
But if you manage to achieve this state,
Then a lot of other objectives will take care of themselves.
