The Hundred Steps

This one takes a little longer than most. You settle the breath first, then count slowly from one to a hundred, each number a step further down a quiet stair. By the bottom the day is usually a long way above you.

The working

1. Sit with your back upright and your legs comfortable. Crossed, folded or on a chair all work.
2. Close your eyes and breathe normally for a minute or two, letting the body catch up with you.
3. Now breathe in through the nose, pause for a moment, and breathe out gently through the mouth. Pause again before the next breath. Keep each pause short and easy, about three counts. If any pause feels strained, skip the pauses and just breathe slowly.
4. After a few minutes of this, let the breath go back to its own rhythm. Begin counting silently from one, slowly, one number for each step down.
5. If you lose your place, start again from the last number you remember. Nobody is checking.
6. When you reach a hundred, stay at the bottom of the stair for a while. Rest in the quiet, or picture a path opening into a wide, green forest and wander a little way along it.

Closing

Count back up from five to one, take a fuller breath, and open your eyes. Notice how far down you went.