Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world

When you notice yourself drifting with your thoughts, label it “thinking” and return to awareness of your breathing. In this way you remind yourself that you can choose to leave your personal storyline and come back to the here and now. Meditation thus empowers you to acknowledge your present predicament as a light on the next step of your path and

What seems undesirable in our lives doesn’t have to trigger habitual reactions. We can let it show us where we’re at and let it remind us that the teachings encourage precision and gentleness, with loving-kindness toward every moment. When we live this way, we feel frequently—maybe continuously—at a cross-roads, never knowing what’s ahead.

If we look carefully at our actions—what we say or do, what we refrain from saying or doing—we can sense within them an urge toward wholeness, toward happiness.

This contemplation is simply about bringing awareness to your breathing. The more frequently you pause and become aware of your breath, the more peaceful and balanced you will feel. See how often you can remember to pause. Note the relationship between pausing, breathing and your general state over the course of a day.