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 CompassionToday my discipline helps me eliminate at least one
unnecessary activity – a phone call, meeting, errand, e-mail,
an item on my to-do list, or an obligation to someone else.
I protect this time for some form of self-renewal.