5 reasons why breathing is the focus of meditation
“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness
Meditation has undertaken an explosion of popularity in the past decade. The diversity of meditation techniques is vast; with a quick Youtube search, one can practice mantra meditation, loving-kindness meditation, sound meditation, and even sex meditation. Here in the West, we primarily gravitate towards a technique called Vipassana, or “Mindfulness” meditation.
Regardless of tradition or technique, one thing seems to be ubiquitous throughout the meditation world — an emphasis on breath concentration.
But our respiration is a peculiar thing to focus on, and many people new to meditation are left wondering— why is the breath the object of attention in the first place?
The Buddha loved making lists, most notably the 8-fold path, 4 Noble Truths, and 5 Precepts. Here’s my list on why the breath is the center-piece of meditation.
- It’s anchored in the present moment
One of the main reasons people begin meditating is to feel more present in their everyday lives. I like to think of presence is as the opposite of absence; rather than being “checked out” in thoughts of the past and future, mindfulness teaches us to be more aware in the present moment, tuned in to our inner and outer landscapes.
So in order to feel more present, it makes sense to train our brains to develop a sharp focus on something that is inherently rooted in the present moment. Enter the breath. Consider this — can you breathe in the past or future?
The breath always offers an opportunity to establish a felt connection with what is happening right here and right now. If your mind is truly focused on breathing, it’s impossible to simultaneously ruminate about the past or daydream about the future, which research has shown often leads to feelings of anxiety and unhappiness. A grounding into the present moment allows us to feel more joyful and in sync with the world around us, and the breath is the best tool to get there.
2. It’s always available
From the moment you’re born until the moment you die, your breath is going to be your companion. If you had a siamese twin that you’d be living side-by-side with your entire life, you’d probably want to be on good terms.
In a way, meditation is the art of developing a relationship with your breath that invites forward the qualities of balance, focus, and peace of mind. In doing so, your breath can become your superhero, jumping in to save the day when your mind is struck with negativity.
3. Your breath is your brain’s remote control
There is a direct and well-studied biochemical relationship between your breath and your brain. By placing your focus on your breath, you can manually hack your brain to create altered states of consciousness.
It’s fascinating when you think about it. Just by consciously choosing to direct your awareness to your inhales and exhales (which is always happening anyway), you can actually flip the switch of your brain’s circuitry to shift from the Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight) to the Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest and Digest).
PS: If you’re interested in learning more about the science of meditation, check out my series on Simple Habit.
4. It’s your mental signpost
Another intriguing discovery meditators often come to is that the way we breathe in any moment is a striking reflection of the way our minds are behaving.
As said by Zen writer Charlie Ambler:
Sometimes the breath changes in accordance with our state while meditating. Sometimes we grab onto thoughts and can’t help but get caught up in them. This can cause stress and tension in the breathing. Sometimes we really get into a state of pure consciousness and thoughts cease bothering us. In Zen this is called shikantaza, or ‘just sitting’. When we just sit, the breath often slows down in accordance with our state of calm reflection. Meditation teaches us that mind and body are not separate; they are one in the same. All of your responses, mental and physical, stem from the same consciousness and the same breath.
If you find that your breath is shallow, fast, and uneasy, chances are very high that your mind is feeling stressed out (as is the case when you’re feeling scared or frustrated). Next time you’re having an argument or feel anxious about an upcoming deadline, notice what your breath looks like and you’ll likely find that there’s an asytmmetry to its natural flow.
The opposite is just as true. If your breathing is slow, easy, and deliberate, your mind is likely nice and settled (as when you’re reading a good book or listening to gentle music). Pay attention to how fluidly your breath flows the next time you’re feeling super relaxed.
It’s a nice experiment you can try any time.
The point is, at any given moment you can actually get a pretty clear signal on where your mind is at just by observing how you’re breathing. As I like to say,
The mental space we occupy expresses itself in the form of breathing.
5. It teaches us to let go
You just finished your last exam of the semester, and you’re finally free for the summer. What’s your breath sound like? Do it with me… a nice, deep sigh of relief.
The art of letting go lives in our exhale. As humans, we have the tendency to bottle up our negative emotions and carry them with us wherever we go. Our minds are like worry-magnets — have you ever felt the energy of a negative meeting or conversation spill over into the next thing?
By exhaling with the intention of release, it becomes significantly easier to let go of problems and focus instead on what’s right in front of us. In a nutshell, this is what the Buddhists refer to as “non-attachment”.
In this way, you can think of the exhale like a training potty for your mind: helping you breath out all the junk you’re holding in your brain.
Meditation is a universal practice, and the breath is a universal language. It’s no coincidence that almost every spiritual tradition around the world has something to say about the importance of breathing.
Indeed, many religions consider the breath to be a sacred symbol of life itself. The exhale is symbolic as a radical act of surrender; letting go of what’s no longer needed and releasing into emptiness; in a way, death. On the other hand, when we breathe in, we fill ourselves back up with life force (Qi, Prana, Shakti), fueling our minds and bodies with creative energy. This cycle of inhale and exhale is a microcosm of life and death.
Ultimately, meditation offers us a very profound invitation: to use the simplicity of an inhale and exhale to radically transform the clutter of your mind to calm, clear awareness. It’s this gift that makes breathwork the foundation of contemplative practice.
In our quest for inner freedom, it seems that a nice deep breath is all we need to appreciate the simple beauty of this present moment.
Nate Macanian is a mindfulness meditation teacher and writer from New York. You can see more of his work at https://www.natemacanian.com/writing
