The Importance of Breathing In Meditation

One of the first things you have to learn with meditation is the importance of breathing. Adopting a correct breathing technique while meditating is essential to its success. If you do not master the breathing, then there is no meditation method or programme that can be successful.

As conscious and correct breathing is such a pleasant and relaxing experience, you should not need much encouragement to learn good breathing techniques.

You can be forgiven for thinking that nobody needs to learn how to breathe. That is true of course. But for meditation purposes you do need to learn how to breathe correctly. The main key to proper breathing and meditation, however, is to learn to breathe deeply, and to learn to be fully conscious of each breath as you breathe in and out. When you do this for the first time, you will realise the difference from your "ordinary" breathing.

You can start with a simple breathing exercise. Take a deep breath through your mouth. You will of course feel your chest expand, but your lungs are not being filled completely. Now, instead of through your mouth, take a big, deep breath through your nose. By breathing through the nose you will feel your diaphragm expand, rather than your chest, and the air will be pulled more deeply into your lungs. Feel this air as it is pulled into your lungs, and feel your lungs expanding to their full capacity. It is this feeling we are aiming for when we breathe during meditation.

It cannot be emphasised too much that correct breathing is the key to successful meditation. You should remember that you should carry out some simple breathing exercises at the beginning of every meditation session. That is true whatever type of meditation you use.

You should begin the meditation session by breathing in deeply, through your nose. You should feel the oxygen as it enters your body and deep into your lungs. Try to picture the oxygen you draw from the air as it nourishes your bloodstream and your vital organs. Hold the air in your lungs and feel it feeding your body. Then, you should exhale the air and be conscious of it as it leaves your body. The exhaled air will clear toxins from your body as well as CO2.

You should repeat the above breathing exercise until you feel completely relaxed and at peace. It is not difficult and does not take long; but it is vitally important.