the open-palm sit

Tonight the teacher is the small pause at the top of the breath.

Breathe in through the nose, a count of four. Then rest at the top — only a moment — and pay attention to how you hold it. A breath can be held like a fist, or like a palm under a sleeping child's head. Choose the palm. Then let it go, long and slow, a count of six, and settle before the next round begins.

Three rounds. Each little hold is a rehearsal — attention without clenching.

The breath teaches the hands, and the hands remember at homework time. That is the entire mechanism, and it is enough. You can stop here.