On twenty small cards I write the name of someone I am very close to, or one of my closely held identities (teacher, writer, etc.), or one of my favorite activities (nature walking, athletics, etc., or some other important aspect of my life (good health, material security, etc.). These are my strongest attachments and therefore the places where my expectations and emotional loads are heaviest. Every couple of weeks I sit or lie down with the twenty cards in my hands. With my eyes closed I shuffle them while I begin breathing into the heartspace. When I feel settled, I thumb through the cards until my fingers come to rest on a specific one. I ask myself, "What would it be like if I were never to have this in my life again?" Opening my eyes and reading the card, I try to feel what it would be like to experience the loss. At the same time, I stay aware of breathing in and out of the heartspace.

Ezra Bayda in At Home in the Muddy Water