Once we have found a suitable position in which to meditate, we have to get on and do it. There are very many different types of meditation, developed in different religions over the centuries, but the standard Buddhist practice involves calming the mind by focusing it gently and repeatedly on a single point of focus. This could be anything at all – a word or phrase, the flame of a candle, a spot on the carpet – but traditionally the approach is to watch the breath.

Why the breath? There is a great deal to be said on this topic, but perhaps as good a reason as any is that it connects us with our bodies, linking us in to a rhythm that is both automatic (we don’t have to remember to do it) and under our conscious control. It tends to have a calming effect, and it’s something we…