What Is Meditation

By definition, meditation is mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness. The short answer? Meditation is listening. Often including reflection, meditation is an excellent tool to bring one to a state of oneness. 

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How is Meditation Done?

There are several types of meditation including transcendental meditation (TM), mindfulness meditation, metta or loving-kindness meditation, progressive relaxation or body scan meditation, breath awareness meditation, kundalini yoga, and zen meditation. Despite the type of meditation, there are four main principles of meditation:

1. Breathe. Get grounded and experience your breath.

2. Focus on something (a mantra, a word, your breath, your body, or even a grape).

3. Let go of the focus and experience nothingness.

4. Think. When a thought pops into your head, acknowledge it and let it go.  

5. Repeat from Step 2 as long as you need to

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Benefits of Meditation

The popularity of meditation is increasing as more people discover its many health benefits. Meditation has been documented to:

1. Reduce stress

2. Control anxiety

3. Promote emotional health

4. Enhance self-awareness

5. Lengthen attention span

6. May reduce memory loss

7. Improves productivity

8. Improves sleep

9. Can decrease blood pressure

10. Improves mood

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