When actor and comedian Wali Collins was in first grade, his teacher, Miss Dunn, would lead the class in a group meditation--except that none of the 6-year-olds realized thats what she was doing. Having everyone close their eyes, Miss Dunn would ask the class to tell her what they heard.

Someone might say I hear birds, and Miss Dunn would ask, Can everyone hear the birds? says Collins. The class would answer, yes.

Other children would add what they heard, such as the leaves in the trees moving from the wind, and Collins says someone would always say, I hear myself breathe. Once everyone agreed that they could hear their own individual breath, she would have the class open their eyes and she would begin teaching.

This woman was a genius; she made a game out of meditating, says Collins. She took a group of highly energized 6-year-olds to a relaxed place so that our minds were clear from distractions and we could soak up all that she wanted to teach us.

Collins, who is a regular on Late Show With David Letterman, uses these techniques today before he performs: I can still hear the calming words of Miss Dunn, he says. If youre feeling crazed, this is the easiest way to relax and clear your mind from stress or unnecessary distractions.

Miss Dunn might not have realized it, but she was teaching what Mike Brooks, an Austin, Texas-based psychologist, calls meditation hacks.

We should all learn to stop and smell the roses, he says. Unfortunately, most of us arent present for most of the day. Were thinking about what we need to do or what we should have done. But if we have one foot in the future and one in the past, were pissing on the present.

Brooks, director of the Austin Psychology and Assessment Center, says our thoughts are like a river. When were thinking about what we need from the store, the river is calm, but when were having negative thoughts--worrying about a presentation, for example--the current becomes more turbulent.

Mindful people--those who live in the present--can step back and stay on the riverbank, watching their current of thoughts and not getting swept away by their content.

Meditation fosters mindfulness, but the practice seems difficult in todays world of constant stimulation: People think the goal of meditation is to empty the mind, says Brooks. Its not about clearing the mind; its about focusing on one thing. When the mind wanders, the meditation isnt a failure. Our brain is like a wayward puppy, out of control. Catching it and putting it back to the object of focus is the mediation.

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Meditation Techniques For People Who Hate Meditation