Meditation-breath watching

One of the best ways to relax the body is to tense it first. Then, with relaxation, you will find tensions being released that you didn't even know existed. Begin your meditation experience by practicing the following two relaxation techniques. The first exercise relaxes your body, and the second calms your mind.

1. Inhale, tense the whole body, then throw the breath out and relax. Do this exercise three times to help rid your body of unconscious tensions.
   The breath reflects one's mental state. As the breath becomes calmer, so does the mind, and vice versa. Relax your mind before meditation, by doing this simple breathing exercise:

2. Inhale slowly counting one to eight, hold your breath for the same number of counts, then exhale for the same count. This is one round of   "even count breathing."
   You may either lengthen or shorten the number of counts according to what is comfortable, but keep the inhalation, retention, and exhalation equal. Practice "even count breathing" six times