Take three more deep breaths and open your eyes. You will feel refreshed and relaxed. Practice every day, increasing the amount of time until you reach twenty minutes. From then on keep your time per session at a minimum of twenty minutes. You may not see any results for at least two weeks, but don't despair.
Meditation is an art that requires patience.
The rewards of persistence will, ultimately, outweigh your efforts. You will find the effects comparable to those of drugs or therapy, yet, you will be happy to know that meditation is both safe and free. He has been teaching it for over twenty years here at Cal. Dr. Somers studied meditation for over fifteen years with Shinzen Young, Thich Nhat Hahn, Christopher Titmuss, Jack Kornfield, James Baraz, Carol Wilson, and other contemporary meditation experts. He conducts a meditation group, for beginning and advanced students, on Tuesdays at noon in King Hall D3084.