Ways to strengthen the perception of the breath

Question

I would like to hear all the ways to strengthen the feeling of the breath so i will know when it enters the body and when it leaves it

i tried to put a hand on the stomach and feel the air go out and in of the nose - with limited success

would like to hear tips on how to do the standard methods people use above - maybe i can improve them - and also i wonder if there are different ways to know strengthen my ability to know when the breath enters and leaves the body - any interesting way you have i would love to hear about it - it dosnt have to be buddhist in any way it can involve equipment even - whatever can help improve my skill of sensing the breathing

I am not looking for different ways to meditate without the breath (only for ways to iprove my breath sensing skill) - thats a different subject and it can be addressed in another thread i created :

Can't notice the breath

Answer 1

You could also "breathe strongly, firmly and rapidly", as they do in Sunlun's method. Rapidly means really rapidly, see the last part of this video.

Answer 2

• You should put your attention to the centre of the upper lip
• You should be aware of if breath is in or out, long or short to start with

There is no need to feel anything like the touch sensation thought this also becomes apparent with practice.

What you should do to strengthen your perception of breath is the to:

1. Sense the start of the breath
2. The acceleration of the inhaling or exhaling process
3. The peak of the process
4. The deceleration
5. The gap between breaths (This is split second and many miss this as loose or weaken your attention breath at this point. Hence this is the point mostly your mind starts wandering away from the breath.)

Also the following book might be of interest: Mindfulness With Breathing : A Manual for Serious Beginners

Answer 3

Directed mental effort or intention to know the breathing is a thought. Being a thought, it is a hindrance to awareness. It brings limited results because it calms the breath but does not calm the mind commensurately, which makes the breath disappear from awareness when the breath calms.

In my experience, the best method I found to strengthen the perception of the breath was to stop trying to perceive the breath & to just sit still & quiet. This method will allow the mind to collect (gather) itself upon the breath.

I would recommend the introductory parts of Ajahn Brahm's Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond, which can be read here.

Answer 4

Increase your mindfulness: if you aren't aware of your breathing, then where is your awareness? Is there something bigger distracting your attention? Different things will distract you to lesser or greater degrees, but remember this is an exercise in mindfulness.

For me, my breath had become more subtle than my heartbeat during meditation. It helped to ask, are you breathing or are you not breathing? How do you know if you're breathing? To do so I had to develop my mindfulness further, notice the most infinitesimal sensation of breath, with full attention over the entire cycle, and let nothing come between my mind and my breath.