Concentration on breathing helps take the mind off and relax the body - essentials for diving into the meditation experience and getting the desired results. Besides that, you get an ability to control your emotions after they’ve been triggered and avoid acting in the way you may later regret.

Breathing shows what is happening in your mind now: if you are stressed, it’s fast and frequent, if you feel anxious, it’s irregular. But start breathing slowly and regularly, and you will reach a state of tranquility. Thus, by watching your breath, you can change your emotional states on a physical level.

When meditating, follow these steps to learn the essentials:

• Create comfort around you: wear clothes that don’t restrict your movements, find a quiet place, switch off electronic devices.
• Sit on the floor or on a chair and relax, with your back upright but not too stiff. You can lie down if you want to be more comfortable. Close your eyes.
• Take a few deep breaths through the nose, and exhale through the mouth. Thus, you’ll relax the body and ground the mind. As you inhale deeply, you may experience slight vertigo, as more oxygen comes to your brain.
• Start breathing naturally. Listen to your body, and it will tell you your usual breathing pattern. You can use your nose or mouth, or both - up to you.
• Here we come to concentration - focus on the breath. Bring your all attention to it, notice how you inhale and exhale. Feel the rising and falling sensation in the upper body, watch your body shifts at these moments. You may have wandering thoughts shifting your attention to somewhere or something, and that’s also normal. When you notice that, try to take your focus back on breathing. Understanding how to breathe takes some practice, but eventually, you acquire an important skill.