https://www.reddit.com/r/heartfulness/comments/1j355jb/observing_breathe_during_meditation_and_non/
*Question:* I have had the practice of observing breathe from my old meditation and this comes to me automatically. When I sit to meditate and put awareness on heart then my awareness also goes to my breathe and I just observe like my breathe is coming in and out of my chest (difficult to describe) . Even when I don't meditate and I try to remain centred breathe is something which grabs my attention. Is there something which I should take care of here?
*SK:* Spirituality is about transcendence—there are no right or wrong observations. Today, your attention may be on the breath, which gradually shifts into something else, and even that continues to change.
Everyone experiences different phases on this journey. For some during meditation there thought shifts to the deity they worship, others may be overwhelmed by thoughts, while some concentrate on the breath. *These varying experiences stem from a common misconception—that Dhyana (meditation) is about focus or concentration. * Meditation is neither focus nor concentration. Meditation is getting absorbed naturally into a state on which we are meditating on, in this case the divine essence.
Let me illustrate different aspects of this through simple examples:
A Cat Watching a Rat Hole A cat sits still in front of a rat hole, waiting for the perfect moment to catch its prey. It has only a fraction of a second to act—missing it means going hungry. This represents concentration (ekagratha, one-pointedness)—creates certain mental strain that narrows our consciousness.
A Bird Watching a Pond A bird sits by a pond, ready to catch a fish at the slightest ripple. The pond is fairly larger area—if the bird fixates on a single spot, it may miss the fish. This represents observation—when awareness expands, concentration alone is insufficient. Observation requires an additional level of perception, placing less strain on the mind.
An Eagle Soaring Above An eagle flies 1,000 feet above the ground, scanning a wide area. At the slightest movement below, it swiftly dives to capture its prey. Covering nearly 20-25 acres, the eagle is not merely focused or observing—it is operating at a higher state of awareness.
Now, consider meditation. If we aim to grasp infinity, the only way is to become a witness. Here concentration, focus, observation all of them will not help. But what do we witness? Whatever enters our conscious state, which then transcends into the object we are meditating on. That is why choosing the right object of meditation is crucial.
In Heartfulness, we meditate on the divine essence already present within us. There is no new divinity entering us—divinity is intrinsic to all beings. Through transmission, this becomes evident.
I shared this long explanation to emphasize that meditation is a journey of transcendence. Whether we start with breath or another point of focus, over time, we move beyond it. The key is to practice with the right understanding.