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What is Meditation? Here’s a beginner’s guide to meditation.

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” Thich Nhat Hanh.

WHAT IS MEDITATION?

It Start With your Breath.

Nobel Prize winners Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak,discovered that daily meditation can literally rewire your brain. Reshapes your neural pathways, which then makes it easier to build lasting habits and boost your overall mental well-being. 

So how does it work?

It starts with awareness.

When you meditate, you’re bringing your attention to the present moment and focusing on something so simple—like your breathing.

In that now-moment, you tap into a sense of spaciousness, as spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle would say, where you feel calm, and a strong sense of vitality that’s always available but often overlooked.

You’ll notice your mind wander. But that’s okay.

Don’t judge it.

Just pause, return to your breath, and reconnect with your body.

The more you practice, the more your brain adapts, in turn creating new patterns for focus, peace, and self-awareness.

Meditation isn’t just a mental break, it’s really how you reshape your mind for a better life.

 

WITNESSING AWARENESS: Meditation & Spiritual Traditions 

They might call it different things like: stillness, prayer, contemplation, reflection, or just being in the moment. But at the heart of all these practices revolves around this one powerful tool that is meditation.

Prayer Vs Meditation.

Here’s a simple difference between prayer and meditation that I learned from Deepak Chopra during his Super Soul interview with Oprah—and it was a total aha moment for me:

  • He said, “Prayer is when you speak to God.”
  • And with meditation, “You’re allowing the spirit to speak to you,— which then it often manifested as intuition and inspiration.” Mic drop.

He adds, “The word inspiration actually means to be in spirit.

And enthusiasm is when you’re in touch with God—when you’re inspired and are immersed in that divine flow.”

Even in Christianity, there’s a practice called centering prayer, used by Benedictine monks, that mirrors many Eastern meditation techniques.

And almost every tradition across the world practices some form of breathing meditation, body awareness, or some form of mantra-based technique.

What’s important to remember is that, meditation isn’t tied to any one belief system or doctrine. It’s simply a way to tune in to yourself, to peace, and to God (however you define that connection).

THE BENEFITS

Meditation offers powerful long-term benefits that can ripple through every part of your life.

For starter, It helps sharpen your focus, deepens your self-awareness, and supports both your physical and emotional well-being.

Think of it as a wellness super-tool that works quietly in the background, creating real, lasting change.

Some of the world’s most accomplished people like, Oprah Winfrey, the Dalai Lama, Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss, and Arianna Huffington,— have made meditation a regular part of their morning routines.

The good news is, is that it’s not just for spiritual leaders or high performers—it’s for anyone who wants to live more intentionally.

As Spiritual teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh beautifully said, “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”

You don’t need hours of training or fancy equipment to get started.

You can begin meditating today, even under five minutes.

It is one of the simplest, yet most powerful ways to quiet your mind and reconnect with yourself.

 

References.

Doane, L.D., and E.K. Adam. “Loneliness and Cortisol: Momentary, Day-to-Day, and Trait Associations.” Psychoneuroendocrinology 35, no.3 (2010): 430-441.  Davidji—secrets of meditation, 45 (2012) Dugosh, K. L., P. B. Paulus, E. J. Roland, et al. Department of psychology, the University of Texas at Arlington. “Cognitive Stimulation in Brainstorming.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 79, no. 5 (2000): 722-35. “What is meditation:24-32

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