The practice
Breathe in and feel where the breath seems to come to rest — somewhere in the middle of the chest, in the region we usually point to when we point at ourselves. Put your attention there and leave it there. Let the breath continue underneath the attention without becoming the object of it. Steadiness in one place is the whole instruction.
What it works on
This dharana shifts the emphasis from the movement of breath to a location in the body. Once attention has a fixed address it stops travelling, and a mind that has stopped travelling is what the text means by steadiness.
Notes
- If the chest feels tight, drop the attention lower, to the belly. The location matters less than the stillness.
Practise gently
Shoonyaka offers educational and contemplative material, not medical, psychological or religious authority. Nothing here diagnoses or treats any condition. Stop any practice that leaves you dizzy, frightened or unwell, and treat a strong reaction as a reason to rest rather than to push on.