Why Focus On the Breath?

In most meditations, you begin with a focus on the breath. It might be simply paying attention to the breath or it might be about taking deep breaths. It might be another variation, but I’d guess probably 95% of meditations begin with focusing on your breath. Is there a reason for that?

There is.

Among those who don’t meditate, or who are just starting to, there’s a common misconception that meditation is about doing nothing. They think you need to stop thinking — something that’s impossible — and have a completely blank brain.

The truth is, meditation requires a fairly intense amount of concentration. And focusing on your breath helps you with that.

Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash

Have you ever been in flow?

Have you ever been so focused on something you were doing that minutes or even hours passed and you didn’t notice? During that time, you might have not heard songs that were playing, people who spoke, a thunderstorm that passed through, and other sounds. You might not have noticed someone cooking or cleaning around you. You were so lost in what you were doing that the world around you was lost.

Focusing on the breath in meditation is a way to try to replicate that flow. By focusing on your breath, you tune out your thoughts, sights and sounds around you, and other things that might…