Anyone with asthma has a love/hate relationship with the process of breathing. These are people who truly and completely appreciate the absolute importance and preciousness of each breath. Those who have had a fundamental aspect of life jeopardized often appreciate it the most.
The challenge for meditators with a history of asthma, COPD, or other breathing problems is that the seemingly simple process of breathing while meditating is entangled with fear, anxiety, and other difficult emotions. The very act of breathing is inextricably bound to memories of episodes of shortness of breath, respiratory emergencies of various sorts, and threats of death. Seen from this perspective, mindfulness is the ideal practice for people who face this so that they can begin to sort through the reality of breathing by practicing full presence with it.
The challenge for meditators with a history of asthma, COPD, or other breathing problems is that the seemingly simple process of breathing is entangled with fear, anxiety, and other difficult emotions.
When we can sit and gently draw our attention to the present moment, which includes a continuous…
