Leaves rustled in the tall trees overhead, and I felt a cool breeze on my skin. I could hear the gurgle of a stream in the distance, and the sounds of chanting. I was in the tropical woodland surrounding a centuries-old Buddhist monastery, in Matara, Sri Lanka. Ramya Jirasinghe, a mindfulness coach, was walking me through a one-on-one meditation session. At her suggestion, I submitted to the sensory experiences around me “without judgment,” listening to sounds without chasing them in thought. Slowly, the tension in my shoulders eased. My mind swirled with images of all that I had experienced in the previous week. As instructed, I let them flow freely.