General idea: Without doubt, the breath is one of the most common meditation objects and it is not hard to see why. It is available all the time, closely associated with our bodily sensations, and has been field-tested for thousands of years. However, we have to note that there are many different ways of meditating on the breath. Depending on the style, we can gain different kind of benefits, e.g., concentration, mindfulness, and more. Furthermore, we often use breath meditation as a starting point for other types of meditation.
Procedure: First, we sample two different ways of observing the breath. For both of these, we sit in a comfortable but stable position and close our eyes. Then, we try to pay attention to the breath, without controlling it (this is not a breathing exercise).
Focus on the air flow at the nostril; try to exclude everything else
Focus on the abdominal movement; try to be aware of the sensation
When we are distracted, we gently bring our attention to the breath. After trying both of these for a short duration, we practice the one of your choice for 20 minutes or so. For now, it would be better to stick to either one of these for the entire duration. Distraction is expected. We patiently bring our attention back to the breath. With this mindful effort, we will be able to increase our concentration. In turn, concentration gained through the practice can improve the ability to sustain our awareness of the situation, leading to a higher level of mindfulness.
Connection to everyday life: Outside meditation, we won’t be able to sustain our attention to the breath as much. However, it would still be possible to pick certain moments to pay attention to the breath. Being able to recall the meditative state, this alone can lead to a certain level of calmness almost instantaneously. With practice, we can have more and more of such opportunities throughout the day. Paying attention to the breath would be especially useful when we experience negative emotions, such as irritation, frustration, anger, sadness, and craving for a certain thing/idea. We could see how wild our minds are.