Breathing is an integral part of meditation. Proper breathing is required in many practices of meditation and is therefore an important tool to be possessed by people who wish to perform this activity.
The practice of proper breathing while meditating helps a person relax while doing the exercise. Proper breathing is achieved by inhaling through the nose, letting the diaphragm (not the chest) expand and exhaling through the mouth.
Doing this slows down a person’s heart rate which leads to a relaxed mood.
Breathing also plays a significant role when a person aims to improve his/her concentration. This is done by focusing the mind on the act of taking in air and feeling it pass through the nostrils until the air is finally exhaled through the mouth.
While this may sound easy, it can be quite challenging when done for the first time.
Then there’s the method for increasing a person’s awareness. Just like the concentration technique mentioned above, it involves putting one’s attention to his/her breathing.
But instead of focusing on the act of inhaling and exhaling air, it is the sensation of breathing where the person trains his/her thoughts. The feeling of the air passing through the nose, filling the lungs and expanding the diaphragm is the sensation that a person should look for.
It helps him/her feel how it is to be truly alive.
This article has shown how important breathing is in the practice of meditation. It is no wonder, therefore, that the two are inseparable activities that a student of meditation should learn.
