Maynard, MA -- You don't have to fold yourself into Lotus position in the middle of a peaceful meadow to meditate. You can achieve equally helpful effects while sitting on the toilet.

According to Massachusetts-based meditation teacher Andrew Weiss, basic everyday activities can be opportunities for reflection and meditation.

For instance, you can move closer to inner peace while washing dishes by repeating the phrase, "Each dish I wash is my most cherished child. Each movement contains boundless love."

And you can use toilet time for enlightened reflection by saying these words as you flush the toilet, "My body's waste is compost. Down the hopper it goes, returning to the earth."

Weiss says these phrases, or "gathas," make us more aware of the present moment and our breathing, as well as set a direction for meditation practice.

He shares other meditation tips in the book, "Beginning Mindfulness: Learning The Way of Awareness" (New World Library).

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