Everyone is struck by lightning in different ways and different times. There are pivotal moments in life when you start to see something from a different angle—maybe it’s something as mundane as overhearing a conversation that moves you, or reading a poem. Maybe a song creates a deep internal shift.

One of our students was a heroin addict, and spent two years in prison. She had taken our teacher-training program, and we had taught her all sorts of breathing tools. But it wasn’t until she was thrown into the hole that she began to understand “Inhale, exhale, pause.” She says it saved her life. ...