Connection and Concentration on the Breath – not the abstract way

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times, “bring your attention to your breath.” Like “ok, yeah, air moving in, air moving out, cool.” It can only take one breath before our minds move along to something more interesting, say your grocery list, or “did I just hear the mail delivery?”

Below are three more concrete ways we can concentrate or connect to the breath without our mind bouncing around like a ping pong ball. Each of these techniques can be utilized alone as a standard form of meditation, or during a moment of silence during a guided meditation when you find you are having difficulty maintaining the meditative mind. If the guided meditation has prolonged moments of silence where you find your mind wandering, utilize any of these techniques to stay centered and return your attention to your breath until the guided portion resumes.

Try each technique and find the one that works best for you. Below are the descriptions and basic steps of each technique.

Count each inhale and exhale

This is probably the simplest way to concentrate on your breath. If you are very new to meditation this is a great place to start. This is also a good way to stay attentive during the silence of any guided meditation.

1. Find your comfortable position.

2. Set a timer for your desired length of meditation, or plan to free flow your time and stay until you feel called to come out.

3. Start with a few cleansing breaths as you get comfortable and settle into your body and stillness.

4. To begin, with your first inhale count “one”, exhale “two”, inhale “three”, exhale “four.”

5. Continue to count each breath up until you reach ten. Once you reach ten, return to one and start again.

6. Continue this cycle up to ten counts throughout your meditation.

I found this technique as a solid introduction to meditation connecting to the breath, but over time my mind found a way to count and think at the same time. Like how does it do that?!

Counting for inhale and exhale time

I personally really enjoy this technique. I find this technique especially useful when my mind is super prone to wandering. It is especially helpful when you need to calm down or prepare for sleep. The goal of this is to create an inhale and exhale breath with a counted ratio. For example, inhale for a count of three, exhale to a count of four. It is best to keep your exhale length longer than your inhale length, until you reach prolonged counts. The ratio can expand from inhale 3:4 exhale, to 4:5, 5:6, 6:7, 7:8. Once you reach an inhale count of eight, you can match the exhale to a count of eight (8:8). To begin start with the ratio 3:4 and work your way up to a ratio you feel comfortable with. Notice when I say “count” I do not give a length of time, like “count for one second”, in this technique you are counting by your own time. The goal is to have a slow, even count. As a tip it is helpful to have fully exhaled before starting your inhale count. This prevents breath stacking. Use the counts of exhale to their full extent and use the counts for inhale to their full extent.

1. Find your comfortable position.

2. Set a timer for your desired length of meditation, or plan to free flow your time and stay until you feel called to come out.

3. Start with a few cleansing breaths as you get comfortable and settle into your body and stillness.

4. Begin by expanding your inhale to a count of three. Inhale, count - one, two, three.

5. Pause at the top for one count.

6. Begin you exhale, expanding it for a count of four. Exhale completely, count – four, three, two, one. 

7. Resume the inhale, one, two, three.

8. Pause.

9. Exhale, four, three, two, one.

10. Continue this cycle for the duration of your meditation.

Top to bottom, bottom to top

In this technique, we are not counting breaths. Here we are using visualization and body sensation to infalte and deflate the lungs. This is an excellent method to feel physically connected to your breath and your body. In this technique we use visualization of the lungs and their anatomy as we breathe in and out filling and emptying each portion of the lung. The right lung has three lobes, superior, middle, and lower.  The left lung has two lobes, one very large superior lobe and a lower lobe. Each lobe of lung is made of tiny bubbles called alveolar sacs that inflate and empty with each breath. While we breathe in we visualize filling each sac within the lungs with air from top to bottom. During the exhale, visualize emptying the lungs from bottom to top, like squeezing a tube of toothpaste from bottom to top. If you have not completely released your breath at the top of your lungs, it will be difficult to begin to inhale from the top again. The inhale and exhale are fluid motions, like a wave of air moving in and out of the lungs.

1. Find your comfortable position.

2. Set a timer for your desired length of meditation, or plan to free flow your time and stay until you feel called to come out.

3. Start with a few cleansing breaths as you get comfortable and settle into your body and stillness.

4. Begin your inhale by filling the tops of your lungs (the superior lobes).

5. Continue to inhale and visualize filling the middle portion of your lungs (middle lobe, right side, and the bottom of the superior lobe left side).

6. Continue to inhale and visualize filling the lower portion of your lungs with air (lower lobes). You may begin to feel your breath deepen into your belly as you fill this area of your lungs.

7. One you have a full breath of air and every part of your lungs are full, pause at the top.

8. Begin your exhale by emptying the bottom portion of the lungs.  

9. Then empty the middle portion of your lungs.

10. Finally empty your breath from the top of your lungs.

11. Once completely empty, pause and begin the refill of your lungs from the top to bottom in a fluid motion.

12. Pause and then exhale from bottom to top.

13. Continue this cycle for the duration of your meditation.