1. The Taste of Breathing

Take a moment and just watch your breath as it flows in, turns around, flows out, and then turns around again.
Watch for the way it speeds up and slows down, strengthens and weakens.
Feel it and listen to it flow past your nostrils.
With your mouth open, hear it in your throat and pass your lips.
Learn every nuance of your breath.
Just sit and watch it, without slowing it down or speeding it up.
Just let it be, and observe the effect of every phase of your breath cycle on your body and your mood,
as well as the effect that just sitting and watching has.

Commentary

Our breath is an excellent tool for starting to meditate. It is always there for us, until the time of the final meditation. By watching it we can learn much about ourselves. Fast or slow, shallow or deep, these are all reflections of our body. Learn to notice your breath, and not just during a few minutes set aside to sit.