I'm glad you noticed it helps, its just hard to remember, particularly when the stress hits. For me its not only useful physiologically in the manner we've been discussing, but can also take you elsewhere, as the breathing body is not only "always now" and as such a great way to stay out of distraction (which can rapidly turn into anxious rumination), but it's always there determining your experience of whatever else you're engaged in (the latter point is a big deal for Ven. Ñāṇamoli)
I do this for a variety of other reasons that are beyond the scope of the thread (happy to discuss just don't want to muddy the waters), but I stumbled onto it a long time ago. By "it" I mean the fact that resting my gaze like that promoted calm and clarity, whether I was looking at something or not (and I'm not talking about zoning out!). Then I found out how important "eyes open" is in Chan and Vajrayana and I was intrigued, and inspired to stop resisting the urge to keep them open .
So I'm not sure why, but for me something about eyes open and relaxed is really calming and centering, similar to the diaphragmatic breathing. I've heard a small handful of others say the same, so I thought it might be of use to you.
Good for you! I'm a huge fan, and I encourage you to try go back and forth with the audio like binocular said as it tends to be less technical and in the form of conversations with students, so it can help clarify the more abstract philosophical writing. Also make sure to check out Ven. Ariyavaṃsa as his writing style is unbelievably clear IMO. If you have any questions, terminological or otherwise, definitely ask pulga and SDC... if you want the B team, you're welcome to ask meDCM wrote: ↑Thu Mar 22, 2018 8:21 pm As an aside I’ve recently been drawn to Bhikkhu Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli teachings and Ñāṇavīra Thera. I’ve looked through Ñāṇavīra Thera‘s Clearing the Path and read Bhikkhu Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli essays, and for the first time since starting practising I’ve found a way of approaching the Dhamma that feels right for me. There’s a lot of terminology I don’t fully understand yet but the way I was approaching before just felt to dry. How do you find their approach, perhaps you can articulate it better as you’ve followed them longer.