the after-dinner sit

Plates cleared, or nearly. The others have drifted to their corners. Stay where you are, at the table. Hands in your lap or flat on the wood.

Breathe in slowly while you count four.

Rest at the top — a pause of about a heartbeat and a half.

Let the breath out for a slow count of six. Slower than feels natural is exactly right.

Settle for a moment — less than a second — before the next.

That is one round. Three rounds is enough. Under a minute, all told.

If someone wanders back in and asks what you are doing, "sitting" is a complete answer.