n this presentation we will be interrogating, for example, the following questions: 1. What is the connection between meditative practice and the phenomenon of breathing? 2. What is the connection between one’s self and breathing? 3. Why do so many meditative practices, for example mindfulness meditation, use breathing as the primary object of attention? 4. How could deeper understanding of our intersubjective somatic experience of breathing make our meditative practice richer as well as our everyday life more mindful?

A philosopher and former lecturer at Lahti University of Applied Sciences in Lahti, Finland, Petri Berndtson will speak on meditation and the profound significance of the function and meaning of breath in mindfulness practices and everyday life. He is currently editing an interdisciplinary book of essays on the philosophy, science and symbolism of breathing. His research is focused on the connection between philosophy and breathing, thinking and respiration.