Even as you engage more closely with the breath, it’s very important to also maintain extrospective awareness. This may not be easy. When you focus closely, the mind naturally tends to drop awareness of bodily sensations and external stimuli. Don’t let this happen, because you’ll become more vulnerable to both forgetting and drowsiness. Furthermore, emphasizing both attention and peripheral awareness at the same time increases the total power of consciousness. (See First Interlude.) More conscious power is the key to making progress in later Stages. Finally, when you allow for the full range
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