THE SECOND FOUR EXERCISES OF BREATH AWARENESS

5. Breathing in, I experience joy. Breathing out, I experience joy.

6. Breathing in, I experience happiness. Breathing out, I experience happiness.

7. Breathing in, I am aware of the feeling [that is present now]. Breathing out, I am aware of the feeling [that is present now].

8. Breathing in, I calm the feeling [that is present now].Breathing out, Breathing in, I calm the feeling [that is present now].

The second four exercises of fully aware breathing help us return to our feelings in order to develop joy and happiness and transform suffering. Our feelings are us. If we do not look after them, who will do it for us? Everyday, we have painful feelings, and we need to learn how to look after them. Our teachers and friends can help us to certain extent, but we have to do the work. Our body and our feelings are our territory, and we are the king responsible for that territory.

Practicing the fifth exercise, we touch pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings. As a result of conscious breathing and calming the body, joy, a pleasant feeling arises.

In the sixth exercise, joy is transformed into peace and happiness, and we are fully aware of it. The seventh and eighth exercises bring our attention to all feelings that arise, whether produced by the body or the mind. The mind’s function includes feelings and perceptions. When we are aware of every bodily and every mental action, we are aware of every felling.