Breathing/breath control: is a very important part of meditation and reducing stress. Breathing in and out is also a cleansing of the lungs and even the mind. How many times have you been upset over something and you are told to "take a deep breath"? It is amazing what a calming affect this can have. The ancient art of Tai Chi uses breath control along with slow meticulous movements to set your body and mind in a relaxed state. Learning to control your breathing is of great benefit not only for your physical well being but also for your spiritual.

Visualization: Ahhh one of my most favorite things to do and an important part of working magick. Look at your hand right this minute and imagine a shiny red apple sitting in your palm, you have just completed a visualization! Wasn't so hard, right? Take it a bit further, imagine that apple being cut in half and one piece falling to the floor; the other piece sails across the room and splatters all over the wall. Now, thank Goddess that you don't have to clean up the mess because it was a visualization.

Almost every book I have read on Wicca has a section on visualization. It is important to visualize because if you can see it, you can be it, obtain it and honor it. When you are creating a circle with visualized mist, pentacles at each quarter or pillars of stone it gives you a protective boundary that intruders cannot see or penetrate. There are just boundless ways to use visualization.
Suppose you have an empty space in your house that you would like to fill with some piece of furniture or plant or whatever, if you visualize what you want, you will work toward making that visualization become a reality. One of my favorite things to visualize is clearing an empty parking space (especially when raining or at busy seasonal times). I judge the distance I still have to travel, don't want that space available too early, and visualize someone at the check out counter paying for their purchases, then I "see" them going to their car and loading their goodies and by the time I pull up they are either pulling away already or I might have to wait a second or two to park. This really works! As far as I am concerned, if you can "see it, you can do it!"
Practice your visualization and let yourself be opened up to wonderful new experiences.

Grounding and Centering: Most of us a familiar with drawing on the energies of the moon, but we must also learn to generate energy by grounding or earthing as it is sometimes called. Grounding allows us to draw on the earth’s energies instead of us using up all of our own. You can visualize yourself as branches rooting down into the earth, or a pole that extends from your spine or even by hugging a tree. Grounding is a wonderful way of letting go of negative thoughts, feelings, emotions and day to day junk that gets in our way of feeling whole.
The earth is one of the best places to channel the negative influences on our lives because she can take these things from us reform them and help us balance our energies. Grounding after an astral projection or celestial working is a good way to ‘bring yourself back’ to the present world.
Centering is just a conscience effort to align yourself by breathing deep from your ‘center’, your diaphram area. Going within yourself, quieting your mind and allowing the center of ourselves to become a place that is at peace once more is what we hope to accomplish by centering.

All of these practices are ways to connect with our inner selves and take us to places within our minds and bodies that help us grow and become more aware of life. However you may choose to be involved with any of them is your choice, but I bet that if you give yourself a chance with any of them, you will be glad you did!
Practice doing at least one of these before coming to the class and share your experience with us (if you like).