The last of the five things to do at the start of a meditation period is only useful if you are using mindfulness of breathing as your access method; otherwise, just skip it. There is a gatha (saying) from Thich Nhat Hanh: “Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile.”1 This is exactly what you need to do to generate access concentration using mindfulness of breathing. Don’t take the saying too literally—just breathe in and out and smile and get calm.
