Meditation has many proven benefits from decreasing stress to making us happier. But how do you transform it from an extended, boring silence into a habit that brings more meaning and joy to your daily life?

This journal will guide you through a rich and engaging exploration of your inner life. Taking A Breath provides instruction and inspiration for beginning and more advanced meditators. Removed from the noise and distraction of our digital lives, this beautiful and functional journal is both guide and tracker. This journal gives you accessible meditations with fun exercises along with the science around both meditation practice and habit formation to inspire your time on the cushion. By journaling, you heighten your memory retention and increase creativity on the journey to creating a daily meditation practice.

Utilizing time-tested meditation practices from the Namchak lineage, Lama Tsomo shares personal anecdotes and instruction on four of the foundational meditations of Tibetan Buddhist practice. In addition, it includes a six-month meditation tracker to help you anchor your practice, inspirational quotes, exercises, illustrations, and journaling space to keep your experience fresh with each turn of the page. The journal will become your mentor confident, co-conspirator, and accountability partner.

When we first start meditation habits work against us, you can use this journal to turn the momentum of habit to your favor.
Taking a Breath: A Meditation and Reflection Journal, Lama Tsomo, Namchak Publishing, Paperback, 211 pp, $19.99

Lama Tsomo is a spiritual teacher, author, and philanthropist. Born Linda Pritzker, she is one of the few American female lamas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Her books include Why is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling? and The Lotus & The Rose. As co-founder of the Namchak Foundation, Lama Tsomo works to share the teachings of the Namchak tradition in Tibetan Buddhism, making its time-tested meditation practices more accessible to westerners at Namchak.org.

Lama Tsomo teaches Tibetan Buddhist practice through the Namchak Foundation. Her experiences as a teacher and sangha member strongly inform her writing. To acknowledged the invaluable lessons, stories, and experiences she has had with the Namchak Community, she wishes to recognize them as a contributor to this title.

CONTENTS: Taking a Breath
GETTING STARTED		1
	Letter from Lama Tsomo	2
	Welcome to Your Journal	4
	The Practice of Doing Daily Practice	12
PRACTICING SHAMATA		21
	Letter from Lama Tsomo	22
	Shamata Practice Instructions	24
	What's My Intention?	50
PRACTICING TONGLEN		65
	Letter from Lama Tsomo	66
	Tonglen Practice Instructions	68
	Compassion in Action--Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche	104
PRACTICING LOVING KINDNESS		109
	Letter from Lama Tsomo	110
	Loving Kindness Practice Instructions	112
	From the Cushion to the World	142
PRACTICING ROUND ROBIN		149
	Letter from Lama Tsomo	150
	Round Robin Practice Instructions	152
	Your Journal Journey	187
LEARNING CIRCLES		189
	Letter from Lama Tsomo	190
	Snapshot of the Learning Circle Toolkit	192
CONCLUSION		199
RESOURCES AND CREDITS		203