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Every practice in the library, in one list. Narrow it by how long you have, who it is written for, and where you are right now.
Trace a slow circle with your finger, on your knee or in the air, once a day. One a day is the whole prescription, which is why it survives contact with real life.
A small movement done daily becomes a handle. After a few weeks the gesture starts to bring a little of the settled state with it, and you can use it…
Telling yourself to calm down asks the part of you that has just gone offline to do the work. Have something practised and physical ready instead, something your hands and lungs can do without instructions.
Relax is a wish, not a skill. A skill is: breathe out for longer than you breathe in, six times. Or: unclench, both feet flat on the floor, shoulders…
By the time you feel angry, your body has been at it for a few seconds already. Anything that starts with noticing is always starting from behind.
That is not a reason to give up on noticing. It is a reason to have something ready that does not need much noticing to begin. A rehearsed routine,…
When your mouth opens to shout, let the air go out slowly through pursed lips instead. Same body part, different job.
It helps that you are not being asked to do nothing. The mouth is already open and the breath is already moving, so you are redirecting something…
Looking for a whole subject rather than a single practice? Start from the nine areas.
If you feel yourself rising, sit down. It is the smallest instruction in the whole toolkit and often the one that works.
Standing tall with a raised voice tells your own body that a fight is on, and it tells the other person the same thing, so they brace and match you.…