--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Breathing is important in the practice of…" description: "\"Breathing is important in the practice of meditation because it is the faculty in us that is simultaneously voluntary and involuntary. You can feel tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/alan-watts-587_breathing_breathing-is-important-in-the-practice-o_3035352.jpg" --- # Breathing is important in the practice of meditation… ![“Breathing is important in the practice of meditation because it is the faculty in us that is simultaneously voluntary and involuntary. You can feel that you are breathing, and equally you can feel that it is breathing you. So it is a sort of bridge between the voluntary world and the involuntary…” quote by Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/alan-watts-587_breathing_breathing-is-important-in-the-practice-o_3035352.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/alan-watts-587_breathing_breathing-is-important-in-the-practice-o_3035352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/alan-watts-587_breathing_breathing-is-important-in-the-practice-o_3035352.jpg) > “Breathing is important in the practice of meditation because it is the faculty in us that is simultaneously voluntary and involuntary. You can feel that you are breathing, and equally you can feel that it is breathing you. So it is a sort of bridge between the voluntary world and the involuntary world — a place where they are one.” [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Breathing bridges voluntary and involuntary processes, serving as a meditative link between conscious control and natural rhythm. **In simple terms:** Breathing connects conscious and unconscious. Key Takeaway Use breath to unite mind and body. Themes meditation mind‑body consciousness Mood calm insightful Type spiritual practical When to use this quote - stress reduction - mindfulness practice - yoga Key Concepts philosophy neuroscience Questions to Reflect On - How does breath affect your focus? - Can you notice the involuntary aspect? A Different Perspective Focusing on breath may distract from other tasks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breathing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathing/) [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“I reason that breathing is more important than blunting the pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-parazynski/i-reason-that-breathing-is-more-important-than-blunting-the-pain/) [Scott Parazynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-parazynski/) > [Breathing is on of the most important things we do daily. And we do it without thinking! CONSCIOUS BREATHING will change your life!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/breathing-is-on-of-the-most-important-things-we-do-daily-and-we-do-it/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [Breathing will change your life! Breathing is the most important thing you will ever do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-williams/breathing-will-change-your-life-breathing-is-the-most-important-thing/) Dean Williams > [Breathing is so important with physical activity, then how much more important is it with psychological activity?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gates/breathing-is-so-important-with-physical-activity-then-how-much-more/) [Kevin Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gates/) > [This is a very important practice. Live your daily life in a way that you never lose yourself. When you are carried away with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/this-is-a-very-important-practice-live-your-daily-life-in-a-way-that/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [It's important to practice good hygiene, At least if you wanna run with my team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/del-tha-funkee-homosapien/it-s-important-to-practice-good-hygiene-at-least-if-you-wanna-run/) [Del tha Funkee Homosapien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/del-tha-funkee-homosapien/) > [It is important to practice so your movement is the minimum necessary to complete its task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaaki-hatsumi/it-is-important-to-practice-so-your-movement-is-the-minimum-necessary/) [Masaaki Hatsumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaaki-hatsumi/) > [I think the most important practice is to be authentic with our human selves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mccormick-day/i-think-the-most-important-practice-is-to-be-authentic-with-our-human/) [Christine McCormick Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mccormick-day/) > [“T he single most important practice in Stoic philosophy is differentiating between what we can change and what we can’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/t-he-single-most-important-practice-in-stoic-philosophy-is/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Looking deeply into the wrong perceptions, ideas, and notions that are at the base of our suffering is the most important practice in Buddhist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/looking-deeply-into-the-wrong-perceptions-ideas-and-notions-that-are/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [“Discipline is important as practice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-poison-king-2/discipline-is-important-as-practice/) Dr poison king > [“as someone who thought that knowledge was more important than practice, I found these words to be a call to action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/as-someone-who-thought-that-knowledge-was-more-important-than/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“The single most important practice in Stoic philosophy is differentiating between what we can change and what we can’t. What we have influence over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-single-most-important-practice-in-stoic-philosophy-is/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“We sat down and I could feel my breathing quicken as the butterflies returned to dance in my stomach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-dickinson/we-sat-down-and-i-could-feel-my-breathing-quicken-as-the-butterflies/) [Miranda Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-dickinson/) > [I feel as though I'm not breathing when I'm out of his presence. He's the oxygen in my air, the sun in my universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-feel-as-though-i-m-not-breathing-when-i-m-out-of-his-presence-he-s/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## More by Alan Watts > [“The self-conscious feedback mechanism of the cortex allows us the hallucination that we are two souls in one body -a rational soul and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-self-conscious-feedback-mechanism-of-the-cortex-allows-us-the/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The more we try to catch hold of the present moment the more elusive it becomes. It is like trying to clutch water in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-more-we-try-to-catch-hold-of-the-present-moment-the-more-elusive/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The Universe is the game of the self, which plays hide and seek forever and ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-which-plays-hide-and-seek/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present. I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/if-my-happiness-at-this-moment-consists-largely-in-reviewing-happy/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [...mysticism and empiricism go together in opposition to scholasticism...they base themselves on the non-linear world of experience rather than the linear world of letters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/mysticism-and-empiricism-go-together-in-opposition-to-scholasticism/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The hallucination of being a separate ego will not stand up to biological tests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-hallucination-of-being-a-separate-ego-will-not-stand-up-to/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Although profoundly "inconsequential," the Zen experience has consequences in the sense that it may be applied in any direction, to any conceivable human activity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/although-profoundly-inconsequential-the-zen-experience-has/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Everything is perpetually becoming new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/everything-is-perpetually-becoming-new/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The psychotherapist ... tries to help the individual to be himself and to go it alone without giving unnecessary offense to his community, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-psychotherapist-tries-to-help-the-individual-to-be-himself-and-to/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [“As you make more and more powerful microscopic instruments, the universe has to get smaller and smaller in order to escape the investigation. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/as-you-make-more-and-more-powerful-microscopic-instruments-the/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [We are at the moment looking at space as something to be entered by the tremendous thrust of a rocket because that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/we-are-at-the-moment-looking-at-space-as-something-to-be-entered-by/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [A philosopher is a sort of intellectual yokel who gawks at things that sensible people take for granted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/a-philosopher-is-a-sort-of-intellectual-yokel-who-gawks-at-things/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The best way to convince someone is by making him realize that what you speak came from his own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-best-way-to-convince-someone-is-by-making-him-realize-that-what/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The myths underlying our culture and underlying our common sense have not taught us to feel identical with the universe, but only parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-myths-underlying-our-culture-and-underlying-our-common-sense-have/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [To feel that life is meaningless unless “I” can be permanent is like having fallen desperately in love with an inch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/to-feel-that-life-is-meaningless-unless-i-can-be-permanent-is-like/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) [Explore all 460 Alan Watts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) ## More Breathing quotes > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [“As long as we’re breathing, we have a chance to start over and build a stable future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ha-campbell/as-long-as-we-re-breathing-we-have-a-chance-to-start-over-and-build-a/) [Kim Ha Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ha-campbell/) > [People don't think much about breathing. Of all the things we take for granted, breathing has to be number one - even though it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/people-don-t-think-much-about-breathing-of-all-the-things-we-take-for/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [I wish," Jared began, and stopped, breathing in. "Do you remember how you used to believe I wasn't real? Sometimes I wish that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/i-wish-jared-began-and-stopped-breathing-in-do-you-remember-how-you/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Breathing is give(carbon dioxide) and take(oxygen), such is life, find balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-williams/breathing-is-give-carbon-dioxide-and-take-oxygen-such-is-life-find/) Marcel Williams > [I'll probably be writing as long as I'm breathing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-ll-probably-be-writing-as-long-as-i-m-breathing/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [For me writing is like breathing. I could not live without breathing and I could not live without writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/for-me-writing-is-like-breathing-i-could-not-live-without-breathing/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [I’m in, Cat. I’d never leave you. Especially when you’ve got death breathing down your neck.” “Very funny,” I retorted, since Bones was inches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/i-m-in-cat-i-d-never-leave-you-especially-when-you-ve-got-death/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [Splutter, splutter. Yes - we're off - we're rising. But why start off with an engine like that? But it smooths out now, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/splutter-splutter-yes-we-re-off-we-re-rising-but-why-start-off-with/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [He’d moved toward me again. His hands released mine and moved to my waist, and I noticed I wasn’t the only one breathing heavily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/he-d-moved-toward-me-again-his-hands-released-mine-and-moved-to-my/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [My worry is that opera will become an historic art form as opposed to a living, breathing thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fleming/my-worry-is-that-opera-will-become-an-historic-art-form-as-opposed-to/) [Renee Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-fleming/) > [I'm really fascinated and you know I've been wondering about that usage of language, various breathing techniques and why in these practices language is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-acker/i-m-really-fascinated-and-you-know-i-ve-been-wondering-about-that/) [Kathy Acker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-acker/) > [I’m exactly right for you, Bella. It would have been effortless for us — comfortable, easy as breathing. I was the natural path your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-m-exactly-right-for-you-bella-it-would-have-been-effortless-for-us/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) [Browse all 1,666 Breathing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Breathing is important in the practice of meditation because it is the faculty in us that is simultaneously voluntary and involuntary. You can feel that you are breathing, and equally you can feel that it is breathing you. So it is a sort of bridge between the voluntary world and the involuntary world — a place where they are one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Watts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/breathing-is-important-in-the-practice-of-meditation-because-it-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Breathing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/breathing-is-important-in-the-practice-of-meditation-because-it-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/alan-watts-587_breathing_breathing-is-important-in-the-practice-o_3035352.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/alan-watts-587_breathing_breathing-is-important-in-the-practice-o_3035352.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/alan-watts-587_breathing_breathing-is-important-in-the-practice-o_3035352.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Breathing is important in the practice of meditation because it is the faculty in us that is simultaneously…” — Alan Watts", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Watts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Breathing is important in the practice...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/breathing-is-important-in-the-practice-of-meditation-because-it-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/breathing-is-important-in-the-practice-of-meditation-because-it-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```