Meditation and Breathing - Suggestions for Beginners

Years ago, during a particularly trying period in my life, I began visiting a behavioral psychologist to address anxiety and insomnia. Part of his sessions often consisted of a guided meditation, where he would speak to me in gentle tones while I lay on the sofa, breathing deeply. The meditations were probably a good 20 minutes or so, and frankly, I wondered if perhaps these sessions were just a way for my therapist to get a break from listening to my life nonsense, but I found them very relaxing and left afterward feeling calm and refreshed, two feelings that didn't come naturally to me.