For many people, the word "meditation" brings to mind images of
monks sitting pretzel-legged, chanting "om." At the very least, it's
typically assumed to be some sort of specialized religious activity. But it's
not necessarily so.
Most basically, meditation involves calming and focusing the mind. Many forms
also involve some kind of breath control. Most, but not all, involve sitting.
And there are several ways to meditate that involve no religious or spiritual
purpose or affiliation at all. Techniques that have been studied in clinical
trials and are recommended by some doctors for improving mental and physical
health include the following:
- Relaxation response. This involves sitting in a relaxed posture
with the eyes closed and focusing on your breath for 10 or 20 minutes. It
is recommended to do it twice daily. This is a technique that was developed
by Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School; he has published books on
it, and there is information on it available on the Web.
- Mindfulness meditation. This involves being aware of your bodily
sensations, the things you feel, and the sounds you hear, and paying attention
to what you're doing. It may sound simple, but have you ever eaten a meal
without thinking about anything but the food and the act of eating? There
are several approaches to this technique; the one most tested for its health
benefits is often referred to as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, or MBSR,
and can be learned over a course of a few weeks through tapes or programs.
Its leading proponent is Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn of the University of Massachusetts
Medical School, which has a Center for Mindfulness. Other advocates of similar
kinds of mindfulness meditation include Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen
Buddhist who has published several books and allows a non-religious approach
to meditation.
- Transcendental Meditation®. This is a program offered by an organization
founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; it is required that you learn the technique
from an instructor. It involves 15 to 20 minutes twice a day, seated, but
it also involves mental repetition of a mantra, a "word"
such as "ainga" or "shiring" that has been selected for
you by your instructor.
There are also meditation techniques that are related to specific religions.
Different branches of Buddhism (notably Theravada, Tibetan and Zen) have a variety
of well-established techniques, as do sects of Hinduism, but there are also
meditative practices used in some groups in western religions such as Islam
and Christianity. There is considerable variety in the different approaches.