“Without meditation, where is peace?
Without peace, where is happiness?”
Bhagavad Geeta · Chapter II
Meditation is focusing the mind on some object. It involves looking inwards and focusing on the inner self. It quietens the busy mind — and with regular practice, it transforms one’s life.
Introduction
What meditation is, the many traditions it has inspired around the world, and why anyone can begin today.
Read more →Preparation
Successful meditation practice needs some preparatory steps — timing, place, posture, relaxation and breath — that make the mind conducive to meditation.
Read more →Practice
A simple, step-by-step method for beginners: calming the mind, observing your thoughts, and meditating on an object.
Read more →Benefits
The main benefit of meditation is that it enhances the feeling of happiness and well being — with many health benefits documented in scientific studies.
Read more →Yogic Breathing
Pranayama ensures the free flow of vital energy throughout the body, calms the mind and helps to control it.
Read more →Resources
Classic texts and further reading for deepening your practice, from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali to modern research.
Read more →Meditation is focusing the mind on some object.
Concentration
It involves looking inwards and focusing on the inner self. It quietens the busy mind. It has been proven to reduce high blood pressure and other stress related symptoms.
Mind and Body
During meditation, the mind is calm and focused on the present — not on the past or the future. Meditation leads to relaxation — both physical and mental, even better than sleep does — and this improves health and can alleviate various types of disease.
Consistency Is Key
For maximum beneficial effects, meditation should be practiced in a regular way over a long period of time.
Methods of Meditation
There are many methods of meditation practiced around the world. Most of the methods originating in Asia were derived from the Yogic methods of India. Meditation in India is called Dhyana. These meditation practices were taken to China by traveling monks and the word Dhyana became Chan in China and then Zen in Japan. There is a lot of similarity in all these methods of meditation, so the method outlined on this site will also aid with other methods of meditation.
A simple method of meditation for beginners is outlined in the Meditation Practice section. This is based on the Yogic meditation methods taught by the Indian sage Patanjali, who compiled the Yoga Sutras (the authoritative text on Yoga) around two thousand years ago.
The first step in meditation is to calm the mind, then to observe your thoughts as a detached observer, and finally to meditate on a single object. Once you are able to focus on the object of your meditation, to the exclusion of all other thoughts, for a significant amount of time, you are ready to advance to the next stage of meditation — which is best learned directly from a teacher.
For most people leading busy lives, the basic stage of meditation described on this site is sufficient to bring significant benefits in terms of health and well being and to induce a feeling of happiness. After a few months of practice, you will find significant changes happening in life: your approach to situations will be more tolerant, your relationships and health will improve, and you will experience a sustained feeling of happiness.