Mindfulness Meditation: Three Reasons to Focus on the Breath

Image by Kathleen Port, Pixabay

Shifting from an egocentric to present-moment (or mindful) awareness takes time but can be life-changing. Meditation is key for many who turn to mindfulness and often involves awareness of the breath. It begs the question, why this constant focus on the breath?

Why indeed. One thing to remember in any discussion like this is that meditation is always just a tool. You don’t get an award for clinging to the breath for 20 minutes or an hour. The present is here and now. It’s flesh and blood, laughter and tears.

With that in mind, here are three reasons why focus on the breath can lead to greater awareness.

Number 1: Focusing on the breath invites you to stay with a part of your experience that is neutral, regular, and even boring.

We live in an age of distraction. Aversion towards the present moment is strong. With mindfulness, we are trying to be present with the ever-changing reality of our experience, mental and physical.

Learning how to stay with what is happening right now is thus central. It takes practice. Patience. Interest. Self-compassion. And coming back again.

These mental attitudes are sometimes called beginner’s mind. The mind of a beginner sees all things in a new light. The mental attributes associated with mindfulness are cultivated when we decide to stay with something neutral like the breath.

Number 2: Focusing on the breath supports awareness of everything else going on your awareness.

What is your experience? It’s another word for consciousness. What “it’s like” to be you.

Look around. Breathe in. Taste the present moment. What’s it like? That’s what the ultimate reality of your life is like, right now. That’s life.

If you choose to meditate by focussing on the breath, my recommendation is to adjust your attention to the point where your focus on the breath is similar to the attention required to carry a cup of tea across a crowded room.

Think of what this requires. On the one hand, you have to be focused enough on the cup of tea so that it does not spill. On the other, you have to be aware of what is going on around you. Who is where, what are people doing, taking in the level of noise, all of the things that are necessary so that you make it to the other side.

This is awareness of the present moment. Place enough awareness on the breath to notice the in-breath and the out but also thoughts, feelings, and sounds around you. This supports and cultivates a non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. It’s called a practice because that’s exactly what it is.

Number 3: Focusing on the breath can have a calming effect on the mind.

Conscious breathing can trigger your parasympathetic nervous system. When it does, it sends the body into relaxation mode. This makes it easier to be aware of thoughts and feelings.

This helps since when you first start to meditate, you may be faced with racing thoughts alongside physical sensations, sounds, and emotions. Welcome to the default mode of the mind! Well-known in neuroscience but still a shock to many, it’s strange to have it brought home that we are not in charge of our thoughts.

When you focus on something regular and physical like the breath, that calming effect can really help. Opening up to the present moment can trigger aversion or even panic in early stages of mindfulness practice. This usually changes over time but consider having someone to talk to about any challenging emotions or memories that are triggered.

And if the breath it does not work for you, you can choose something else to anchor yourself in the present, to use as a place from which to observe your experience. You can focus on the ambient sounds in the room. The rise and fall of your stomach or chest. Or the body as a whole.

Whether it’s the breath or something else, go light on yourself. We can easily go into a fight or flight mode with regards to our own experience if we focus too hard. Apply as little attention to the breath as you can. Use it as an anchor but don’t let it pull you down.

Awareness of the present moment is a lifelong project. The breath is always there. Be kind to yourself and approach your experience with a gentle touch.