| The word meditation, is derived from two Latin | | | | development of personality. |
| words: meditari(to think, to dwell upon, to exercise | | | | Benefits of Meditation |
| the mind) and mederi (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation | | | | To get rid of tension, panic, anxiety, heart disease, |
| 'medha' means wisdom. | | | | insomnia, arthritis, migraines, anger and other mental |
| Meditation is not a technique but a way of life. | | | | illnesses; and if you want to achieve a state of |
| Meditation means 'a cessation of the thought | | | | happiness and bliss, then step into the process of this |
| process’. It describes a state of consciousness, | | | | meditation. |
| when the mind is free of scattered thoughts and | | | | One of the most important benefits of meditation is |
| various patterns. The observer (one who is doing | | | | how it releases stress from our bodies. Meditation |
| meditation) realizes that all the activity of the mind is | | | | practised regularly will lead you to a deeper level of |
| reduced to one. | | | | relaxation and contemplation. If you want to be free |
| Meditation can be defined as thinking continuously | | | | of constant worry, pressure and stress the benefits |
| about something. Most of the time people are | | | | of meditation can give you a life that is calm, |
| meditating on one thing or another, but they are | | | | peaceful, happy and relaxed. |
| unaware of it. For instance, when we are thinking | | | | Be it work, sport or music, concentration is essential |
| about a problem, we can say that we are meditating | | | | to fulfill our potential. In one pointed concentration |
| on that particular problem for a given period of time. | | | | there is great power; our energy and focus do not |
| Therefore, one can say that when different people | | | | get dissipated. When we have concentration we can |
| talk about meditation, they are essentially talking | | | | do more in less time. Through meditation we gradually |
| about the same process. However the major | | | | improve our powers of concentration; this focus can |
| difference lies in the object upon which we are | | | | be used for both meditation, and also other activities |
| meditating. It is the final goal and actual features of | | | | we engage in. |
| the practice that mark its uniqueness. | | | | Meditation can also help us to understand our own |
| Commonly today, people can mean any one of these | | | | mind. We can learn how to transform our mind from |
| stages when they refer to the term meditation. | | | | negative to positive, from disturbed to peaceful, |
| Some schools only teach concentration techniques, | | | | from unhappy to happy. Overcoming negative minds |
| some relaxation, and others teach free form | | | | and cultivating constructive thoughts is the purpose |
| contemplative activities like just sitting and awaiting | | | | of the transforming meditations found in the Buddhist |
| absorption. Some call it meditation without giving | | | | tradition. This is a profound spiritual practice you can |
| credence to yoga for fear of being branded 'eastern'. | | | | enjoy throughout the day, not just while seated in |
| But yoga is not something eastern or western as it is | | | | meditation. |
| universal in its approach and application. | | | | When we live in the mind it is easy to get distracted |
| Preksha Meditation is the combination of knowledge | | | | by small irritations. For example, maybe we find it |
| from our ancient religious books, modern science and | | | | intolerable to be kept waiting in a line, or we get |
| our experience. It is the practice of purifying our | | | | upset by a small misdemeanour of another person. |
| emotions and our conscious (chitta) and realizing our | | | | The solution is not to avoid these minor problems, |
| own self. and a technique of mediation for attitudinal | | | | because they will keep appearing no matter how |
| change, behavioral modification and integrated | | | | hard we may try. |