This morning, sitting and minding the breath, an insight arose that I would like to share. Up until now, I have always thought of awareness of breath and mindfulness of sounds as two separate practices. This morning, sitting, it struck me that both can be combined into one.
It goes like this:
Sitting, put the attention on the breath wherever it is most noticeable in the body. Linger a few minutes there, and in the midst of the surrounding quietness, start listening to the constantly changing sound of the breath. Sound of breath coming in, sound of breath leaving the body, and the silence in between. Let it carry your awareness.
For some such as myself, the sound of breath may be just what is needed to get the mind concentrated.
Paying attention to the sound of my own breath also made me think about all the times when I was privileged to sit next to someone dying, and how the sound of breath is such a big part of the life ending experience.
May you listen to the sound of breath.
It goes like this:
Sitting, put the attention on the breath wherever it is most noticeable in the body. Linger a few minutes there, and in the midst of the surrounding quietness, start listening to the constantly changing sound of the breath. Sound of breath coming in, sound of breath leaving the body, and the silence in between. Let it carry your awareness.
For some such as myself, the sound of breath may be just what is needed to get the mind concentrated.
Paying attention to the sound of my own breath also made me think about all the times when I was privileged to sit next to someone dying, and how the sound of breath is such a big part of the life ending experience.
May you listen to the sound of breath.
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