Thanks for sharing your experience. I liked to hear about your process of searching what works for you. I totally agree with you though about deep breathing. Several instructors have advised against any conscious breath control at the start, yet I am in your camp where the deep breathing brings me deeper into my self. Plus there's the added benefit of slower heart rate and stress relief, so even with a monkey mind (which we all have ahah) meditation is always going to leave you in a better space.