The practice of "centering" oneself has been around for thousands of years, as practiced in ancient India and the Far East. In fact such religions as Buddhism and Zen have a form of meditation at their core. Not only does it offer scientifically validated life-saving health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and chronic stress levels, meditation can also raise a person's IQ and creativity.
Meditation has been around in one form or another for centuries. Religions in India and the Far East have considered it essential in preparing a person for spiritual awakening. And several studies have reportedly shown that meditation can take a person to a new level of awareness, which some call an “enlightened state.”
Most people go through life in a series of “distractions.” They don’t want to deal with real life problems and difficulties so they cover them over with a multitude of actions and pursuits. Some are harmful such as alcoholism and drug abuse and some are simply escapes. Some of the “keeping busy” actions might include watching endless hours of television each day, constantly listening to ear-shattering rap, or continually being on the go. There is little “quiet time” in life. And while this is many times dismissed as a trivial pursuit, it has turned out to be very important to the overall well being of a person.
What Is Meditation?
Simply put, meditation is a way of quieting the body and the mind, allowing troubling thoughts to leave the consciousness while preparing the mind for new information (awareness). Meditation is also considered by many as a form of prayer in that a person can reach a higher level of consciousness which some interpret as being “nearer to God.” It should be pointed out that although meditation is at the center of several religions it is not in and of itself a religion. Instead, it is a way of life.
Meditation reached main stream attention in the late 60’s and into the 70’s with the “free love” and the “hippie” cultures that swept much of the world. Anything different was pursued. Somehow drugs such as marijuana and LSD seemed to get mixed up with this movement because they also altered consciousness but in truth they were just a popular “adjunct” and not central to the actual belief and method of meditation. At any rate, this new culture exploded and brought meditation to the forefront. The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi became almost as popular as the Beatles, who by the way, traveled to India along with other celebrities such as Mike Love of the Beach Boys to be at the seat of this new power. Then driven by a media frenzy, meditation became de rigueur to the masses.