People often sit at their desk, laptop, TV, or plugged into a smartphone with their earphones in. Listening to music, podcasts, videos on YouTube, working, or whatever.
As an experiment, the next time you put your earphones on, don’t ‘listen’ to anything except your breath.
It may not be as noticeable if you’re on the bus, driving, in an airport or a similar noisy environment. But, still, I think you’ll find it to be … telling.
How are you breathing?
Are you breathing fluidly?
Is there equanimity on the inhale and exhale. Or is one shorter or longer than the other?
A pause in between may be good. But do you find that you’ve actually stopped breathing? As in not breathing altogether of course, but that your breathing is not fluid. Easy. Continuous. That there is a long pause, perhaps, between the two. That you fail to begin the inhale, until long after the exhale.
- Why might that be?
- How do your neck muscles feel, while you’re noticing ‘this’ breath?
- How does your torso or trunk feel?
- How does your abdomen/belly feel?
- Do you notice or feel anything at all?
- Do you sense anything?
- What might this noticing, this awareness tell you?
In the meantime, try this.
Inhale, and exhale, along with the shape below. Expansion, contraction.
I’m curious to hear of your experience.
I can say for sure, I noticed a few things about my own breathing patterns.
When there is quiet, what do I hear?
(Though we’re in the midst of a cold winter, I find I can ‘listen’ more clearly to my breath when swimming or floating in water, similar to listening with earphones in as above. Or if I submerge myself in bathwater. So choose what’s best for you, whatever might be your season.)
Please feel free to comment, in the space below.