Faint Breath

[mlefflerMember]

Hi All,
I’m really enjoying The Mind Illuminated since getting it recently. All seems to be going well, except for maybe one issue regarding the breath.

Like other meditators that I’ve heard from at times, it’s sometimes difficult or impossible for me to detect the breath at the nose. For my last 3 sits, or so, I feel the breath for the first period of time. Then, it gets very faint or undetectable. I suspect that I’m getting more still and settled over the course of the sit, then the breath becomes more subtle to point where I have a hard time noticing it.

Even when I can’t notice the breath much or at all, my mind seems relatively still and peaceful. It’s important to be able to notice it pretty constantly though, isn’t it? Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you,

Mike

[mlefflerMember]

Since posting my question, I read a response by Culadasa. Apparently, the degree to which the breath is detectable is not so important. Keeping attention in the “space” of breath sensations is what’s important. This is nice for me–seems to take the pressure off of needing to feel something. Plus, I feel like I can keep my attention in that space pretty well. I’d still love to hear someone’s thoughts on this, but maybe I got my answer.

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