Option used: “Mindfulness of Breathing” guided meditation (with Dr. Miles Neale)

Effort required: 2/10

When: After breakfast

Total time: 15 minutes

How I felt before: Eager. I woke up feeling frazzled so was actually looking forward to “just breathing”.

How I felt during: I have a 3 months puppy that can’t stand still for even a second and I seem to have a mind that’s just as restless. 15 minutes felt like a very long time. Matthieu Ricard says that “the spinal column [should be] quite straight, like a pile of gold coins”. My spinal column is more like the leaning tower of Pisa and the more relaxed I get, the slumpier my posture gets. Other than that, I did manage to have a few moments of what I think meditation should look like.

How I felt after: Calm and alert. Yay.

Lessons: I need to find a way to monitor my posture that will not be too much of a distraction, the slumpier it gets – the sleepier I seem to get, which, from what I understand, is as undesirable as being too restless.