When I tell people I am a meditation teacher they often say, “Cooking is my meditation,” or “Exercise is my meditation.” And while those things are relaxing, meditation is its own thing—which is why it has its own word. Mindfulness is a “directed-focus” style of meditation, in which you’re focusing on or counting your breath, doing a walking meditation or a guided visualization, or focusing on a flame. Any time you have a focal point,…