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The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘Meditate’ as a verb:

• think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.
• think deeply or carefully about (something): he went off to meditate on the new idea.
• plan mentally; consider: they had suffered severely, and they began to meditate retreat.

The are many misconception about meditation. To many people the word meditation is a foreign concept. Our definition of it come from bits and piece of what we’ve heard in movies, media and from the occasional person we meet who actually meditates. Many people think meditation involves shaving your head and humming in the mountains. In reality, meditation isn’t about being a guru or becoming someone else. Meditation is about getting more in touch with our lives and becoming less caught up inside our own heads. Do you know that feeling just after you hear a tremendous roll of thunder? That experience when you perk up and take notice of your surroundings and there is clarity for that moment? That’s what meditation help us achieve: clarity in our daily lives.

So if meditation is about clarity, then what does religion have to do with it? Meditation is present across many religions, has many different forms, and a variety of goals. It can encompass a formal practice used to achieve higher states of consciousness or simply a relaxing and peaceful exercise. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism and Taoism all utilize meditation in some form. As you can imagine, the style, importance and definition of meditation in each of these religions varies. The common thread that weaves these different styles together is altruism: the desire to help other people.

You can meditate without being aligned with any particular religion or group. It is an avenue to achieve clarity and break through the barriers in our mind. Too often our lives are influenced by our preconceptions: too often we decide what things will be like before we actually experience them. Meditation is a means of teaching ourselves to get past our opinions and preconceptions. Once we begin observing our own thoughts it becomes clear just how often we get caught up in our own head.

Meditation, whether taken up as a rigorous formal practice or a more relaxed self directed approach can yield many benefits. Meditation is just like any other activity we engage in: to become accomplished takes practice, commitment, and time. Since meditation involves working with your own mind it is very difficult to provide benchmarks or time frames for progress. A practice depends entirely on the individual and their own commitment. Self direction is a key component of meditation since you will be the one calling the shots. You will be in control of when, where, and for how long you meditate. This requires discipline.

Learning to meditate is similar to running: you don’t expect to be able to run a marathon the first time out. You need to start with small goals and then continue training and gradually increase your distance. You need to be committed to your running routine. If you want to run farther, you need to train two or three times a week.

Experienced practitioners gain profound insight from meditation that resonates throughout their lives. Instant gratification would be nice, but we can’t expect this as a beginner. Just like running, we need to begin with small, realistic goals. Let’s take a look at a few of the more practical results we can expect to see as beginners.

Discipline. An initial practice requires that we meditate on a schedule: ten minutes a day, two or three times a week. We discipline ourselves by committing to a particular length of uninterrupted time for our session and completing that time regardless of how we feel. Meditation opens the doors to mental discipline and focus. In our practice we train our mind to focus at length on a particular object. Eventually, we start to develop control over our mind which translates to our lives. We find that we are able to better focus and keep our mind on a task throughout our day. We notice that our mind stops wandering as much and is more in our control.

Stability. Meditation is aimed at stabilizing our mind. Meditation involves us sitting it in a fixed posture and striving to hold our mind in a stable state. We practice rescuing our mind from our scattered thoughts by continuously bringing it back to a single object. As beginners, the majority of our efforts are focused on keeping our mind clear while we meditate. Once we become adept at this challenging process it starts to impact our lives. We find that our mind is less likely to wander. Our thought processes become clearer and more concise. We do not become distracted as easily. Situations that once overwhelmed us are easier to navigate. We build the strength to face our emotions openly and honestly. We become better equipped to weather the storms of our lives.

Awareness. Meditation forces us to look at our own mind. It turns our awareness inward to examine what’s going on in our heads. We learn to see the cascade of thoughts constantly going through our mind and how they distract us. We become aware of how often we are out of touch with our surroundings and the people we interact with. We begin to see the incompleteness of how we view ourselves, our ideas and our environment. Eventually our awareness broadens and we begin to perceive things that were previously hidden from us. This allows us to read people better and to fully understand what they are communicating. It gives us a more panoramic view of any situation and allows us to see the whole picture.

Confidence. Meditation forces us to reflect and turn our attention inward. We begin to see exactly how our mind works, and how it has been running around in circles our whole lives. We see the amount of mental energy we expend for no good reason. Once we become familiar with the patters of our mind, we begin to see through them. We know the tricks our mind plays on us and we know how to overcome them. Instead of distracting us as it always has, our mind becomes a powerful tool that is at our disposal. Our mind is disciplined, stable and aware. We are not afraid to admit when we are wrong.  We no longer need other people to validate what we think. We gain a fundamental confidence in ourselves that permeates our lives.

Discipline, stability, awareness and confidence are all attainable. Successfully establishing a strong meditative practice is a journey. The benefits are not immediate. Just like running, one must start slowly and overcome obstacles to experience success.

On a personal note, I want you to try meditation. It has allowed me to discover a side of myself I didn’t know existed. It’s given me a clarity I’ve never before known. It’s provided me with a sense of purpose and has helped me become a more compassionate person. It has improved my life in more ways that I can list. I know it works. And I know it will work for you. All I ask is that you give it a try.

“So it is said that if you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but know yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.”

- Sun Tzu, The Art of War