Take a Breath, and Find Your Centre

Someone I know through a mutual friend posed a statement and question earlier that read, "we all need to take a moment sometimes to just breathe. What do you to to centre yourself?" In my mind, most of the responses seemed rather typical. Read, listen to music, the general stuff that falls into this category. I'd said that sometimes, centring myself is as simple as shutting my eyes for a few moments. I was then asked if I have a mantra to go along with it. Have a find-my-centre mantra? No, I can't say that I have one of those, however, I did mention an exercise that I used to do in high school drama class. The teacher would sometimes have the class lie down on the floor. We'd be told to close our eyes, and clear our minds, a simple, meditative-like way of finding our centres. Sometimes, when I'm having difficulty sleeping, I still do this simple exercise. I let myself go, and feel the ultimate relaxation come over me. Next thing I know, it's the next day, and I'm not only well rested, but still feeling somewhat relaxed. Of course, if I'm not wanting to sleep, reading and listening to jazz music can have a similar effect, but for a conscious, R.E.M equivalent, taking a moment to shut my eyes can work wonders. What works for you?