The First Breath

Find a comfortable seat. Let your spine be tall but relaxed. Close your eyes or soften your gaze. Take three slow breaths, allowing each exhale to be longer than the inhale. Now let your breathing return to its natural rhythm. Without trying to change it, notice the cool air entering your nostrils and the warm air leaving. Each time your mind wanders—and it will—gently return to the sensation of breathing. This returning is the practice. You are not doing it wrong; you are training the mind to come home.