So most of the literature on meditation that I've read emphasizes watching the sensations of the breath around the nostrils as an object of concentration/shamatha practice. However, I wonder whether one can also watch the breath without localizing the 'watching' anywhere for cocentration/shamatha practice? Or say, watching it at the abdomen?
you can watch the breath wherever it is most accessible to you. Some possibilities: rise and fall of the belly, the chest, inside the noise, tip of the nose, upper lip, etc. You can also watch the entire body as the breath moves in and out.
The object can be whatever you like. It's good to have less emphasis on the object itself than developing your ability to stay with the object and actually get stuff done.
