When I focus on my breathing during meditation,
Is it better to have long,
Slow,
Deep,
Deliberate breaths?
Or is it better to have shallow,
More frequent breaths?
Neither.
Just let your breath be what it is.
All you have to do is be aware of the state of the breath.
If your breath is long,
Slow,
Deep,
Then realize that it's long,
Slow,
And deep.
Whether it's shallow,
Realize it's shallow.
If you're panting or more frequent breaths,
Just realize that you are indeed doing this.
You're not trying to intentionally shape how you breathe.
All you're trying to do is be aware of your breathing.
Basically,
You've got to pause all your intentions.
Because with intentions come effort,
And that leads to fatigue.
You can only be truly relaxed at peace in the absence of intention.
So you're not breathing with certain intent and trying to shape your breath this way or that way.
You're just observing the breath as it comes,
As your body demands.
So when you start meditating the first time you sit down,
Because you're just paused from moving around,
Your breath might be a little shallow,
A little rough.
But after sitting for a while meditating,
Your breath will naturally become more relaxed.
Then if you have some thoughts come to you,
They may trigger a more shallow,
More frequent breath.
So you're looking to your breath as a deputy matrix,
Basically for the state of your mind.
The downside to being relaxed is that sometimes you receive,
You either become drowsy because you're totally relaxed,
Or you have all these distractions from the subconscious,
Deep in your subconscious mind that you never thought of,
These thoughts that come rise and distract you.
And that may cause the risk of you losing your focus on the breath and kind of chasing after those.
It's almost as if you leave a beaker of water out in the sunlight.
It evaporates naturally.
That's how you're distracting thoughts kind of come to you.
They kind of come unbidden into your consciousness.
