Bernadette Juarez started meditating 15 years ago. “It has helped me a lot in my every day,” she said. She recommends meditating at least twice a day.

“First, you have to be mindful about your breath, the inhalation and exhalation through the nose. Just sit in one quiet corner without any gadget, without any phone at all, by yourself on a chair with both feet planted firmly on the ground. If you cannot, sit on the floor. And then close your eyes and watch your breath. Slow inhalation, slow exhalation.

“Of course, thoughts will start. Random thoughts will start coming in. We know we don’t own our thoughts. And thousands of thoughts would come in and out.

“But meditation is like this—imagine yourself at the crossroads, at an intersection, and a lot of buses are passing by. Those buses are random thoughts. Huwag mong parahin, huwag kang sumakay (Do not signal, do not board them). Just say, ‘Oh, may bus,’ then drop the thought.”

There’s no such thing as perfect meditation, Juarez said. “But consistent practice brings you to that quiet space. So when things are bothering you, just close your eyes. Pay attention to your breath, inhale, exhale. Start with five minutes and then bring it to 10 minutes. Then, when you feel like you’re ready to get up, just open your eyes, slowly. That’s how you start meditation, and then after that, you can offer your prayers normally. I think most of us, we do our morning prayers, we do our evening prayers.”

Another tip? “Meditate on an empty stomach. That’s very important.”

Juarez said, “Hopefully the Portia Sanctuary would be a starting point for people to learn to start meditation. Because 20 minutes of meditation is equivalent to three hours of sleep.” —Pam Pastor INQ