The “who” -aka you– is what matters most in this practice, thus the “what”, “when”, “where”, and “why” should stay on the sidelines. This practice can be used wherever, whenever, and under any circumstance. The only thing that’s ever needed to find inner stillness lies in your mind.
To begin, it’s up to you to discover what method works best to quiet your mind. Not what’s most relaxing or puts you to sleep, but what approach helps you access the space between your thoughts. For some people yoga, guided meditation, or deep breathing patterns does the trick. But for many others, especially those new to quieting the mind, a more active approach works. This could be running, playing with an animal, reading, listening to music, gardening, getting creative, or just being in nature. There is never a right or wrong way to relax your mind, so keep trying until you find what works for you!
It is nearly impossible to silence all thoughts, so the goal is to find an activity that allows you hear and decipher the running dialogue in your mind. This is the place where your ego dominates over your true voice. Once you reach here, it becomes easier to distinguish between the judging mind (not you) and the observing mind (you!). Then you’ll be able to access this space anytime, anywhere with or without your activity to guide you.