Each time you sit in an alert and dignified posture and turn your attention to your breathing, for however long, you are returning to your own wholeness, affirming your intrinsic balance of mind and body, independent of the passing state of either your mind or your body in any moment.

Here’s a brief guide for how to attempt a session on your own: Find a comfortable position, sitting or lying down, take some slow deep breaths, and begin by slowly repeating to yourself six times, “I am completely calm.” If you are doing the second “lesson,” for example, you can focus on warmth. Put your awareness onto sensations of warmth in your