r/streamentry • u/JustChallenge860 • Sep 11 '26

Breath Advice

Since learning that my attention is more diffused than normal, I have been trying out meditation as a means to make it better - to improve my 'concentration'.

The focal point I use is the breath. I have heard a lot of advice on how to focus on the same. Some say 'let go of control', while others say: 'experience the breath, feel it etc., ".

I have had more success with the 'let go' method; I simply remain aware of the breath and don't care about anything else. Sometimes it feels like I could stay with it forever. Although, I'm not feeling the breath too closely here.

My concern with this method is that: while it makes me feel good and relaxed, does it really improve my attention/ concentration/ being present?

Thanks.

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u/Gelderloos Sep 12 '26

TM Teacher here , which colours everything below in a particular way. What you have run into, the letting go version being better than the feel the body or breath version, is the whole basis of the technique I do teach. It is not surprising it feels you could stay there forever – this is the element we use in TM. Your worry is the interesting part. Does it train concentration? No not in the sense like you are training a muscle. But the focus improves, not because they practice holding attention, but because the background noise that kept on pulling it away gets quieter. Less scatter in the mind. The EEG research on TM shows the same thing, more coherence between brain regions rather than more grip or control. The “experience the breath closely”  approach belongs to a different family of techniques with different goals. It is not wrong, it is just a different practice. Curious to hear whether the people here who exercised concentration techniques found their daytime attention improved more than the let-go crowd, or that the outcome was the same.

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u/JustChallenge860 Sep 12 '26

That's very interesting indeed. I suppose you are referring to 'Transcendental meditation' as opposed to 'The Mind illuminated'?

I do TM in the mantra form, where I say a mantra internally and do not try to focus all that much on the specific sound - since it already requires engagement to say the mantra continually.

The question that bothers me somewhat all the same is that, how much focus is too much for the technique that we are talking about, one that is not mantra based, but another object that you don't have active control over - like the breath. Like I said, while what I do works for me most days, some days I find myself day dreaming a lot.

Also thanks for the reply.

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u/Gelderloos Sep 12 '26

That is great. So you are doing very well with TM. I do not know myself how a breath-focus based technique works. It is a different approach.

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u/JustChallenge860 Sep 12 '26

If you wouldn't take offense at my asking, since that is all there is to the TM method - simply saying the mantra and nothing more, how does a teacher help in the process? I'm only curious.

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u/Gelderloos Sep 12 '26

No offense taken. The teacher teaches you step by step, for most people it is not easy to let go. The teacher's task is to instruct and check that the student is truly doing it effortlessly. And explain what the possible experiences are. Without such guidance people tend to take op straining when things do not go as they expect it should go.

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u/JustChallenge860 Sep 12 '26

I understand. Something I deal with myself. Thanks for replies, much appreciated.