The Breath

[DJLSFC]

Mindfulness Man, thanks for posting. I agree that it depends and I always stick to the same area during the same practice, its just now and again, depending on the type of practice, or time and place where I'm doing it, I find that switching the focus between the nose and belly feels right and seems to help with paying attention. I must say since I started this thread, I tend to focus on the belly now for most formal practice but still, if i'm outside and can feel more coolness at the tip of my nose than usual, or maybe a body scan before bed where I always have the window open, and even when I'm in public or socialising, I feel that the tip of the nose becomes a more natural area to focus on.

I still feel as though I`m progressing well but do you think eventually the above approach could be a hindrance?

[MindfulnessMan]

I would say that if you are opening up to the breath wherever you feel it most strongly you can't go far wrong.
When I was first taught I was taught very strictly, nose only. I made lots of progress until I read elsewhere that there are benefits to feeling breath at the abdomen. It's no exaggeration to say it has caused over a decade of doubt and confusion. If only I'd listened to that first teacher.
Why are you meditating?
Many meditators, myself included, use breath merely as an achor, not as an end in itself. It's a tool to sharpen awarenes, eventually enabling mindfulness to flourish even without the breath.
I now firmly believe that for me the best option is, feeling the breath wherever it manifests, expanding that out to the whole body, then allowing the breath to retreat into the background and feeling whatever comes up, bodily sensations, mental states etc.
The main thing is to be aware of why you are changing your practice, if it's not from restlessness then you'll be just fine.

[JonW]

Great post, MindfulnessMan.
Spot on, in my opinion.
All best,
Jon

[MindfulnessMan]

Thanks Jon, all the best buddy

[beherenow.space]

... I was taught very strictly ... It's no exaggeration to say it has caused over a decade of doubt...
Many meditators, myself included, use breath merely as an achor, not as an end in itself. It's a tool ...
The main thing is to be aware of why you are changing your practice, if it's not from restlessness then you'll be just fine.

Some really useful insights here that concur with my own experience: misplaced strictness can really hamper the progress of anything and in the end you really have to trust your own instincts. Ultimately everything is a tool, nothing is sacrosanct and personal experimentation is the only way to accumulate meaningful data to develop your own optimally individualised practise. And yes, it's always good to check and be aware of your motivations for your choices.
Stephen

[daniel12]

The nostrils has always been the most natural place for me. Everything else seems a bit forced.

HI,
I agree with you, nostrils is the natural and best place to breathe.
Thanks

[DJLSFC]

A questions for you noser's .

Do you ever use the sound of the breath during a breath practice ?

[DJLSFC]

Really struggling with the breath at the moment. Was away for a few days so not much time for practice but since I have got back my breath seems to be all over the place, so instead of the up and down of the belly, I get different waves in the body that seem to swirl away in all sorts of directions, strange. The only way I can feel a consistent up and down is if I put both hands on my belly. Have also been trying the nose but the swirling feeling is a bit overwhelming. Trying to just feel whats there but it is frustrating. Maybe the funfair rides I went on put my inner ears out of sync .

Cheers, Dave.

[Gareth]

Really struggling with the breath at the moment. Was away for a few days so not much time for practice but since I have got back my breath seems to be all over the place, so instead of the up and down of the belly, I get different waves in the body that seem to swirl away in all sorts of directions, strange. The only way I can feel a consistent up and down is if I put both hands on my belly. Have also been trying the nose but the swirling feeling is a bit overwhelming. Trying to just feel whats there but it is frustrating. Maybe the funfair rides I went on put my inner ears out of sync .

If the breath doesn't feel right for you at the moment, why don't you try something a bit different?