Start by gently following the pathway of your in-breath, and then your out-breath. Notice how much your breath can teach you about how to balance inner and outer. Continue gently following your breath until your mind becomes calm and receptive. Then read the meditation several times, letting the words enter your consciousness. If you follow this time of focusing on the meditation with a period of stillness, the words will settle in you at a deeper level. Sometimes you may want to return to [the] meditation several times during the day, or work with an especially relevant meditation for several days.
— Gail Straub in Circle of CompassionOver time I fall in love with the light and shadow
of the days and the cycles of the seasons. As I learn
to live in harmony with the cycles of my place,
I begin to live in harmony with my own seasons
and my own light and shadow.