YEAR OF ZEN: SUMMER: DAY 64

Annunciation - Federico Barocci

Q: Focus on breathing without counting your breaths. How did that go?

A: I don’t find the practice of counting breaths any more difficult than not counting them. Rather, I just find it to be different. When I am counting it is keeping me in a measured rhythm. My mind might wander less, or I’ll pull it back to the task at hand more quickly. Not counting, and just focusing on the act of breathing itself, is an inherently less structured act where my mind may stray but where some profound insights can sometimes be found. Thinking broadly, these ways of thinking and experiencing each hold their own unique value and utility.