9. Breathing in, I am aware of the activity of the mind [that is present now]. Breathing out, I am aware of the activity of the mind [that is present now].
10. Breathing in I make the activity of the mind happy. Breathing out, I make the activity of the mind happy.
11. Breathing in, I bring right concentration to bear on the activity of the mind. Breathing out, I bring right concentration to bear on the activity of the mind.
12. Breathing in, I liberate the activity of my mind. Breathing out, I liberate the activity of my mind.
Exercises 9 to 12 of fully aware breathing deal with the activities of our mind. These help you to deal with mental formations that are buried deep in our consciousness. With the help of mindfulness we learn to look at both positive (love, understanding, compassion, joy) and disturbing (anger, despair, suspicion, pride) formations of our mind. We nurture those which we find beneficial; also we acknowledge those which cause us suffering.
Tenth exercise makes our mind happy, because it is easier for us to concentrate when we are happy. You are fortunate if you have the opportunity to meditate, calmly abiding in the present moment. Immense joy arises in us when we touch the seeds of faith, compassion, equanimity, gratitude and love deep in ourselves. We need only touch these seeds with our conscious breathing effort for them to flower.
We use the mind to observe the mind in the eleventh exercise. Mind is the oneness of the subject that illumines with the object that is illuminated. All mental formations that manifest in the present moment can become objects of our concentration.
The twelfth exercise can release the mind to freedom. Mind is bound either because of the past or the future. With clear observation we can locate the knots that bind us. Full awareness of breathing shines the light of observation into the mind and helps free it.
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