meditation

What Meditation Is

The term meditation refers to a group of techniques, most of which started
in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions. These techniques have been
used by many different cultures throughout the world for thousands of
years. Today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious
or cultural settings, for health and wellness purposes.

In meditation, a person learns to focus his attention and suspend the
stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind. This practice is believed
to result in a state of greater physical relaxation, mental calmness, and
psychological balance. Practicing meditation can change how a person
relates to the flow of emotions and thoughts in the mind.

Most types of meditation have four elements in common:

		A quiet location. Many meditators prefer a quiet place with as few
		distractions as possible. This can be particularly helpful for beginners. People who have been practicing meditation for a longer period of time sometimes develop the ability to meditate in public places, like waiting rooms or buses.

		A specific, comfortable posture. Depending on the type being
		practiced, meditation can be done while sitting, lying down, standing, walking, or in other positions.

		A focus of attention. Focusing one's attention is usually a part of
		meditation. For example, the meditator may focus on a mantra (a specially chosen word or set of words), an object, or the breath.

		An open attitude. Having an open attitude during meditation means
		letting distractions come and go naturally without stopping to think about them. When distracting or wandering thoughts occur, they are not suppressed; instead, the meditator gently brings attention back to the focus. In some types of meditation, the meditator learns to observe the rising and falling of thoughts and emotions as they spontaneously occur.

Meditation is practiced both on its own and as a component of some other
therapies. The information presented here focuses on meditation practiced
on its own.

Meditation for Health Purposes

Meditation used in complementary and alternative medicine is a type of
mind-body medicine. Generally, mind-body medicine focuses on:

The interactions among the brain, the rest of the body, the mind, and
behavior and the ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and
behavioral factors can directly affect health.

People use meditation for various health problems, such as:

		Anxiety
		Pain
		Depression
		Mood and self-esteem problems
		Stress
		Insomnia
		Physical or emotional symptoms that may be associated with chronic
		illnesses and their treatment, such as:

Cardiovascular (heart) disease
HIV/AIDS
Cancer

Meditation is also used for overall wellness.

Reprinted with permission of National Center for Complementary and Alternative Health