This meditation can be done anywhere, anytime. Make a habit of doing it: perhaps just before each meal, or after you’ve gone to the restroom, or when you first get up in the morning or last thing at night before sleep. Try it just after stepping outside or when you’re just sitting down on the streetcar or subway. The results may surprise you.

How to Practice

Stop and take 4 or 5 breaths. What’s going on right now, as you breathe? Look to see what’s going on. Is part of your energy still irritated with your co-worker? Are you hungry? Do you feel calm? Are you tired? Is part of your energy worried about someone? What is your mood?

Don’t try to change this, just notice it. If it’s something you’d rather not feel, accept that it has a right to be there, and see it with kindliness, even affection. We can handle almost anything for 4-5 breaths. Be willing to stay with it for this short time. Then finish up and go back to whatever you were doing.