This Is a Simple Breathing and Focus Exercise

Contemplative Journal Assignment #1 and #6
Following the Breath

This is a simple breathing and focus exercise.

Find a quiet place with a comfortable chair. A simple straight chair is best.
Sit up and comfortably straighten your spine. Imagine that a hook is attached to the top of your head and pulling gently up. Your spine will lengthen. This shouldn’t be strained or military-straight; just comfortable-straight.
Relax your shoulders.
Relax your jaw and let your mouth stay very slightly open.
Shake out your hands, then let them rest on your thighs where they naturally fall, palm up or down.
Let your feet rest flat on the floor. It’s better not to cross them.
Tilt your head slightly down and adopt a soft focus (or close eyes).
Completely relax. Rest in open awareness. Let your mind go: Ahhhhhhhhhhh.
Now, while breathing normally, begin to watch your breath. Feel it entering your nose, moving down your throat and into your lungs, then feel it pass back out.
Don’t think about anything. Just follow your breath, in and out.
Sharpen your focus a bit. Notice the air going in—is it cold, cool, warm? Notice the air going out—is it cool, warm, moist, something else?
Each breath is distinct—can you notice the subtle differences in length, force, slowness or speed of the in and the out breath?
If you like, you can sharp-focus on a single minute spot, such as just below your nostrils. Really feel the air there. Or, if you prefer, you can gently follow the entire movement of air through your torso. Just let your awareness rest lightly on breathing.
You will probably begin to breath more slowly, and your out-breath will gradually lengthen. This is natural and good.
Whenever you notice that your attention has wandered, that you are thinking about something other than your breath, simply bring it back to your breath.
You will likely notice your mind wandering many times. Don’t resist it; just notice it and go back to watching your breath.
You may even go on a prolonged train of thoughts, probably thinking about something which has already happened or something which is about to happen, or you’re passing judgment, good or bad, over the activity in progress, or you’re stuck in some problem you’re working on, etc. etc. That’s perfectly fine; when you realize what you are doing, simply observe it, let the line of thought go, and return gently to your breath.
If you feel yourself getting sleepy, foggy, or dull, try raising your eyes—look straight up for awhile. Another idea is to simply stop, get up and walk around/stretch a little, then sit again.
If you feel yourself getting anxious, itchy, or anything else, simply notice it—“Oh! Hi there, itchiness!”—and go back to your breath. (Of course, if you are experiencing serious pain, you should stop the exercise and deal with the issue!)
Do this for 10-15 minutes, 3 times in the week, on different days. (Try not to check the time continually; just glance at a clock now and again. Another option of course is to set a quiet alarm.)
If you enjoy going as long as, say, 20 minutes—great. You will definitely see extra benefits and experience new kinds of awareness the longer you go. But there’s no pressure.
Note: if you are struggling at all with this assignment, if you feel genuinely uncomfortable in any way, reduce the sessions to 5 minutes. Just breathe and relaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaax. :) The main point is to give it a shot, sit with the intention of watching your breath. Let things happen.
Record dates, places, and times in your journal. Also respond to these questions in at least a good paragraph:
What was this experience like for you? What did you feel emotionally? What sensations did you feel, moment by moment?
Did your mind wander—did you catch yourself thinking instead of following your breath? How often did this happen? Be completely honest; there’s no correct answer.
Did you notice any effects on your body?
If you are completing this task as Contemplative Journal Assignment #6, what was it like to do the breathing again?
Any questions or additional observations?