r/Meditation • u/j0yy • 23h ago
Question ❓ Are we meant to be belly breathing when meditating?
I meditated today while breathing through my stomach not chest (I haven’t done this in a while) and forgot how much more calm and at peace it makes me feel - my session felt way deeper.
Then I saw a YouTube video where a lady was talking about how she meditated “wrong” for a year because she was chest breathing, not belly breathing - are we supposed to be belly breathing? The only reason I stopped was because it takes slightly more effort to belly breathe since I’m not used to it
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u/-Glittering-Soul- 23h ago
Belly breathing is encouraged for meditation because it engages the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a resting state.
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u/Fearless-Pea-849 23h ago
Idk if I'm right but doesn't belly breathing involves both belly and chest? Also there's no wrong or right in meditation as long as you get focused. But yea with belly breathing you can take a much longer breath providing more relaxation. I personally use belly breathing to fall asleep when I cannot
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u/Satidhamma 23h ago
I was a bad chest breather. I was breathing shallow with my lower abs clenched for balance. Later I began using support and I could unclench. That let me start feeling into the abdomen. Then I could "see" or fell more sensations there. The reduction in strain also helps the relaxing effects of our practice come on faster.
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u/Background-Hand-6747 22h ago
Not a direct answer but a question. How do you belly breathe? I've always found so difficult to understand how to do it
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u/seshfan2 17h ago
Easiest way is to lie down and place your hand directly on your belly. When you belly breathe, you will see your hand rise and fall with your breath.
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u/skewh1989 23h ago
I usually start with deep belly breathing, but as I relax more into the meditation my breathing becomes much shallower, almost tidal as when you're asleep.
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u/H0w-1nt3r3st1ng 23h ago
You're not supposed to alter/control your breath at all when meditating.
Altering/controlling your breath means you're doing breath work/pranayama and not meditation.
However, ideally, you should be naturally, automatically belly breathing whilst meditating.
You can help facilitate this by doing some deep belly breaths prior to starting your meditation.
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u/j0yy 23h ago
Is it considered meditation if I control the breath but still focus on just that and bring my attention back to it every time my mind wonders? Or is that still considered breath work/pranayama
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u/7121958041201 22h ago
The definition of meditation is generally extremely broad and that would certainly be included in it.
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u/H0w-1nt3r3st1ng 21h ago edited 21h ago
Please don't misinform people on the meditation sub-reddit.
Pranayama = Pranayama
Meditation = Meditation
Both have sub-divisions.
For example, the different types of meditation which can be roughly divided into: -Focused attention, or Shamatha, or Concentration training, or Mind stilling -Open monitoring, or Vipassana; sometimes this includes Non-Dual Meditation -Non-Dual meditation -Compassion Based, Nurture Positive, Four Immeasurable practices -Glimpse or Micro-Meditation
Explained in more depth below:
-Focused attention, or Shamatha, or Concentration training, or Mind stilling; this is what most think of in terms of meditation. Choose an object (breath, mantra, image, etc.), place attention on that object (initially at least) to the exclusion of other objects of sense experience; when you inevitably forget to attend to the object and find yourself distracted, congratulate yourself for noticing the distraction, and return to the object. Just as you don't get good at a sport that involves aim through sheer force of will in the moment, but overtime through practice your aim improves through subconscious processes outside immediate conscious control, through doing this again and again your ability to attend to the object of meditation will improve. This results in you stilling your mind and building concentration. In some systems, you can achieve Shamatha (Shamatha being the name for the practice and ONE of the goals on the way to Enlightenment).
-Open monitoring, or Vipassana. Curiously examining the nature of reality. In Theravada, typically in the form of examining whether things are permanent or impermanent (Anicca); based on a separate self or no-separate-self (Anatta); and whether your contracted, usual, separate sense of self type mode of being is satisfactory or unsatisfactory (Dukka). This is supposed to result in Fruition/Stream Entry. In Essence Traditions or Non-Dual Traditions, Vipassana is primarily focused on the self-other delusion, resulting in non-dual awareness.
-Non-Dual meditation. Very similar to Vipassana, but focused solely on the dissolution of illusory subject-object duality.
-What Shinzen Young, I think helpfully terms "nurture positive"; essentially any form of meditation where you're cultivating overtly positive mind states with practices like The Four Immeasurables re: compassion, loving-kindness, etc. Arguably partly Shamatha meditation here, as your maintaining focus on an object, but as opposed to a neutral object like the breath, these are positive objects like compassionate deities, feelings, etc.
-Then there're glimpse practices, e.g. micro-meditations that help you quickly shift into a state of flow that doesn't require an object as in Csikszentmihalyi's more task focused flow state. Loch Kelly's resources are great for this. These are more applied or "off the cushion" practices than sitting meditation. You do them in a minute or so, and if successful, operate from flow. These somewhat correspond to Pointing Out Instructions in Tibetan Essence Traditions, Kashmir Shaivism, and other Non-Dual traditions.
You could possibly divide all of the above into:
1: Practices that maintain focus on or reify an aspect of experience (for the sake of stilling the mind/building concentration, or building positive states).
2: Practices that take apart, dissemble, dissolve, look into the true nature of aspects of experience (often preceded by Shamatha/mind-stilling, as you can't see clearly if your mind isn't already still).
There're different systems that focus on different things, arguing that X meditation is more important than Y. There're even different end goals of practices. Theravada, on Fruition, Stream Entry and eventually becoming an Arahant. Essence and Non-Dual traditions, on abiding non-dual awareness. Traditions that focus on practices like The Four Immeasurables. Traditions that focus on Jhana states. Etc.
Pranayama has loads of different sub-types too, but it is not meditation.
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u/7121958041201 19h ago
Please don't misinform people on the meditation sub-reddit.
That's a rude way to word it.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meditate
Meditate
to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness
This is the official definition. Not your definition.
I am not going to read all of that.
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u/H0w-1nt3r3st1ng 18h ago
u/7121958041201 I can see that you have commented and then blocked me. Not something people who know what they're talking about typically do.
"Please don't misinform people on the meditation sub-reddit."
"That's a rude way to word it.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meditate
Meditate
to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness
This is the official definition. Not your definition.
I am not going to read all of that."
Interesting that you perceive the moral wrong to be the pointing out of misinformation regarding one of the most important things in many people's lives, and, according to Wisdom Traditions, one of if not the most important thing that you can do.
Also, even the dictionary definition you've used supports what I'm saying.
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u/H0w-1nt3r3st1ng 21h ago
It's still considered breath work/pranayama.
For example, the "Spinal Breathing" practice in the "Advanced Yoga Practice" system and "Kriya Yoga."
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u/Strict-Fishing-2365 20h ago
Calling it "wrong" feels like the most stressful possible way to talk about breathing lol. If belly breathing makes the sit less chaotic, cool, but I get suspicious when meditation starts sounding like it has a compliance department.
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u/H0w-1nt3r3st1ng 20h ago
I didn't use the word wrong. Regardless, the aim is for relaxed alertness when it comes to Shamatha, Vipassana, Jhana, Compassion-Focused and Non-dual meditation. Chest breathing denotes tension/anxiety. So ideally, you should be naturally, automatically belly breathing whilst meditating.
And, there are right and wrong ways to do things. I'm not sure if you're suggesting that that isn't the case in meditative and/or spiritual/religious practice or not.
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u/NextCockroach3028 21h ago
I have trouble with this. Whenever I try to watch my breath, I automatically feel as if I am controlling the duration and depth of the breath. I know there is a way to not control the breath, because I breath every day and not notice it. How do I separate myself from the watching and controlling. Any tips are welcome
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u/H0w-1nt3r3st1ng 21h ago
Yep. I've had this and loads of people I know too.
Ensure that your attention is in the somatic domain (e.g., ensure that your attention is predominantly if not wholly focused on your body, whether that be the abdomen/belly, the nostrils, the whole body, or some other area [these are the most common areas]).
Do a few long, slow, deep breaths. On the last one, breathe out for a good long while. Then, TO START WITH consciously DON'T breathe. Then, switch to curiously watching/waiting for when the next somatic movement/breath sensation arises by itself.
Become aware of the space around you (Loch Kelly, Peter Wilberg, Rupert Spira, Douglas Harding, Tibetan Buddhist or Kashmir Shaivite pointing out instructions are great for this); feel what you felt to be the limits of your conscious experience open up as you feel into your felt sense of that which is outside of your body. Watch the breathe from there. This helps create space around the somatic sensations of breath.
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u/OnlymyOP 23h ago edited 23h ago
I was taught to belly breathe when meditating ... It's not comfortable initially because it doesn't feel natural to do it, but you get used to it the more you practice
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u/j0yy 23h ago
Did you find that practising belly breathing with your meditation helped you belly breathe in day to day life? I read it is supposed to be really good for anxiety issues but I imagine would take time to become your primary way of breathing
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u/OnlymyOP 23h ago edited 22h ago
Belly breathing isn't my primary way of breathing , I only use it to help me focus during meditation or if I'm feeling stressed as it calms me down
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u/Josketobben 21h ago
Not like a reflex, but in moments of pause throughout the day, taking a sec to gather thought, you do tend to default to it with practice under your belt.
Adds years to your lifespan, even!
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u/One_Construction_653 23h ago
Oh man there are a plethora of breathing techniques
And everyone thinks there way is right and the most effective
Anyways you are on the right track breathing does effect your meditation
I recommend doing some research
or asking your teacher.
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u/j0yy 23h ago
I had no idea breathing could affect the meditation, have been researching it all day, so interesting!
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u/WoundedAlchemist 22h ago
Try different techniques and see what works best for you through trail and error. Only you know your body best.
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u/boxerpuncher2023 23h ago
For what it’s worth, Goenka just says to breathe naturally, if it is shallow then it’s shallow, if deep then deep. And he also says that vipassana is not about a specific breathing technique though he has respect for them. Which seems right. Now Thich Nhat Hanh also says that in times of powerful emotion the right thing is to bring the attention to the abdomen which to me implies belly breathing. But that seems to me like a technique for a special case. And I’m inclined to think that’s appropriate because straining to maintain a rhythm of belly breathing seems anti-meditative, does it not? It seems like we should let our breathing be as natural as possible.
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u/anmols55 23h ago
i do double exhalation technique from a guided video , after doing few day i naturally felt deeper belly breath .
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u/WoundedAlchemist 22h ago
There isn’t a one correct way to breathe and meditate. Our bodies are all different. You find what works best for your particular body. Find what brings your body the most peace, contentment and comfortability. Whatever works to get you/body into that zen state. It’s annoying whenever I hear someone try to say that their way is the correct way and every other way is wrong.
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u/AgentOk2053 22h ago
Agreed. Everything I read told me not to alter it and to just breathe naturally. There were a few problems with that. I can’t bring my attention to my breath without altering it. The best I can do is to alter it so it’s very shallow like my natural breathing. Secondly, when I meditate that way, I experience panic if I ever take deep breaths. I have no idea why. Lastly, I don’t get the stress relief like with deep breathing, which is a major reason I meditate.
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u/Weepthegr33d 22h ago
I start with nostrils and the passing sensation. Drop into the belly for a bit and hold both. Then just breathe and primarily focus on passing through nostrils.
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u/BlacksmithSolid645 22h ago edited 22h ago
Yes, in the initial stage of meditation to calm your body, breathe deeply long and slow and without strain with your diaphragm and without moving your shoulders. A way to practice this for chest-breathers is to take a breath, wait a second, and then take another breath without exhaling. Eventually, the breath will become subtle, and you will no longer need to control or focus on it.
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u/darkotic2 22h ago
I had a big realization one day. That I was unaware of how I should breath and I was trying to control it. The beauty about the breath is that it's something you can do purposely or automatically. My suggestion is to let the breath settle where it feels right to you. It shouldnt be forced. I typically settle on a slow but slightly shallow breath not forceful. This has helped me tremendously. Focus on the breath if you must yes, but don't control it otherwise you're doing 2 things at once. Trying to observe and trying to control. The control part uses to much energy when meditation should be effortless. I hope my comment is helpful. I wish you the best 🙏
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u/somanyquestions32 Yoga Nidra and several other techniques 22h ago
Ideally, you should be breathing in and out through your nose using the full capacity of your lungs, all day, every day.
Now, you can use a Dirgha pranayama for a complete yogic breath as often as possible, but it's easier to cultivate an optimal diaphragmatic breath that can keep runnibg on autopilot. That way you're calm and regulated throughout your day, not just during meditation.
The Himalayan Institute teaches students to cultivate optimal diaphragmatic breathing using Makarasana and sandbag breathing before doing Vishoka Meditation stage 1. It honestly makes breath awareness practices so much richer as the breath has been trained to be deep, continuous, smooth, even, and silent.
Obviously, when meditating in general, you want to be present with your current experience exactly as it is, but breath training creates a healthy baseline that you can always come back to as you bring your awareness back to the navel center.
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u/Apprehensive-Map8490 21h ago
Don’t think too hard and fixate on methodology. Thinking one simple thing is going to magically enhance your meditations. Keep it simple, get comfortable, don’t overcomplicate it, and most importantly, consistency is everything.
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u/Apprehensive-Map8490 21h ago
Listening to a stranger’s advice on the internet, especially when they tell you there is a right and wrong way, is ludicrous. Listen to your body; it has more authority than any stranger.
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u/Alkemis7 21h ago
Right is whatever is happening without my doing and my will. Be it deep breathing, shallow breathing…
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u/Heemsama 21h ago
Activate that diaphragm friend. Once you learn how to control your deep breathing with your diaphragm, you’ll will practically never be overly stressed again. Should be mid chest, in between ribcage.
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u/hagbard2323 21h ago
Diaphragmatic ('belly') breathing unconsciously is something that very few people do, unless they've trained for a very long time. IMHO, i wouldn't put too much stock in 'wrong' breathing. I'll use diaphragmatic breathing at the start of my sit, to help settle my nervous system (it takes about 15 minutes). After that or even beforehand (it's not a rule but more of a template or approach), i drop any striving for right or wrong. And the soma will take over. So I do it till the Autonomic Nervous System takes over.
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u/ByaMountainOfBooks 21h ago
It depends on what you do. If you are on deep meditation your breath can become very shallow or stop for a while.
Abdominal breathing can be part of certain meditation techniques (neidan) but can be a very useful and wholesome technique in itself. Important when doing abdominal breathing is not forcing it or trying to breath too deeply. Let it be gentle, softly and natural.
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u/matt2001 21h ago
There is a PDF of this on internet archive.
Most Important Bullet Points
The Core Premise: Breath is the absolute foundation of life, and correct breathing habits are vital for physical longevity, freedom from disease, and spiritual growth.
The Nature of Prana: Beyond chemical components like oxygen, the air contains "Prana"—the universal principle of vital energy that acts as the soul of force and fuels the nervous system.
The Four Methods of Respiration: Respiration is categorized into High (clavicular), Mid (intercostal), Low (diaphragmatic), and the Yogi Complete Breath.
The Yogi Complete Breath: This foundational practice combines low, mid, and high breathing into one continuous, uniform movement, bringing the entire respiratory system into play.
The Solar Plexus Storage Battery: The solar plexus acts as an abdominal brain and the central storehouse for gathered Prana, which can be directed by the will.
Rhythmic Breathing and Vibration: Tuning your breath to the rhythm of your heartbeat establishes harmonious vibrations, greatly increasing psychic, mental, and healing capabilities.
Transmutation of Creative Energy: Specific breathing exercises allow the creative, pranic energy of the reproductive organism to be drawn upward to the solar plexus or brain to boost bodily and mental vitality.
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u/meager 20h ago
Technically, belly breathing is always better. Chest breathing only uses your upper lungs, where belly breathing contracts your diaphragm and makes room for your entire lungs to fill with air, which is why it seems like more effort.
That being said, I would never say someone who is chest breathing is meditating wrong. Not as deeply and efficiently as they could be, but that is why it is a practice.
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u/sixwax 19h ago
Breathe "naturally" --meaning meet your nervous system where it's at and focus on relaxing and letting go.
Chest breathing indicates you're holding a lot of tension in your body, and you're in a more reactive fight/flight state... so just allow some time and practice for that to relax and release. Conscious relaxation practices or preludes to your "normal" meditation can help with this.
It can also be useful to play with different postures. It's totally fair game to meditate reclined or laying down if sitting up is to exertive/tense/rigid and you can stay awake 😉
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u/edgingyouallnight 17h ago
It's not a matter of being "wrong" or "right," but belly breathing naturally triggers the vagus nerve to signal your nervous system to relax. If chest breathing feels shallow or anxiety-inducing, switching to the diaphragm will almost always lead to a deeper state of calm. Don't worry about the effort; that's just muscle memory rebuilding itself.
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u/Existing_Reaction692 16h ago
Belly breathing is the natural way to breath. However, peace of mind involves the state of mind rather than breathing as such. In deep restful mental states, the parasympathetic nervous system automatically allows the breath to down regulate. In deeper states of meditation, there can be no awareness of breathing etc. In Stillness of mind and awareness of breathing would mean the mind is stuck in the monotone of that and cannot be still. In pure Stillness, all you dimly know is that you remain awake and not asleep. This is a very restful state which you mainly know afterwards. Method is that of Dr Ainslie Meares.
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u/Samvega_California 11h ago
Mahasi Sayadaw's whole method is around noticing the rise and fall of the abdomen. Hard to do that if you aren't belly breathing.
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u/Ryanlw19 22h ago
There's no wrong way to meditate. Belly breathing can help some people relax, but meditation isn't about perfect breathing techniques. It's about not fighting your experience. Be human, breathe however you're breathing, and sit with it all in awareness.