How to meditate – What is meditation, and how do you do it?
Meditation is a human behaviour with thousands of years of knowledge and tradition; today, it is practised in many different cultural and spiritual contexts. As such, it has developed into other forms and is used for many reasons. By comparison, modern ideas about how to meditate using methods like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), secular Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) or Compassionate Meditation (CM) are in their infancy. What reliable traditional and modern methods have in common is their ability to benefit the people practising them. It is generally accepted that meditation can support subtle changes in how we engage with our own thought processes; this alone can help to reduce stress and levels of anxiety and depression. In addition, evidence suggests that meditation carried out regularly over time can have a relationship to neurological changes leading to more permanent and sustainable increases in happiness and well-being.
“One study indicated that regular meditators have brain ages seven years younger than non-meditators”
However, it should be noted that despite decades of scientific research into meditation and mindfulness, few longitudinal studies can reliably assess the long-term impact of contemporary meditation methods. Therefore one of the most useful ways to evaluate the long-term value of meditation is to look at people that have been meditating for a long time.
The current Oxford English Dictionary described (at the time of writing) the verb to meditate as:
“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.”
This definition is an over-generalisation and misses several of the key issues relevant to many important meditation methods. First, there is a problem with understanding meditation more generally in modern society, and this can be reflected in attempts to explain meditation in a sentence or sound bite. Some recent meditation methods have become composite practices and contain elements of traditional systems combined with modern psychological innovations. This has led to confusion in descriptions of how to meditate, both in practical application and research.
There is no complete catalogue of all available meditation methods, and among the thousands known, great variation is present. Perhaps a useful metaphor for meditation is to think of the term exercise. Walking a dog, professional boxing and playing table tennis are all ‘exercises’; however, the benefits they might bring to their practitioners are quite different. So how you are taught, what training you do, and your level of motivation are all likely to impact the result of your exercise, and so too with your meditation.
Meditation information and advice on how to meditate
In most cases, meditation systems are accessible to beginners and can be undertaken with basic instruction. However, typically there is a need for clear guidance and advice in the first stages of training. Traditionally meditation could be practised with a teacher or more experienced student for several years. However, in every instance, a meditation student will reach a stage where they meditate alone, at least part of the time. This is an important point to stress; meditation is essentially an experiential practice and thus requires the meditator to engage personally with the method.
Specific advice depends on the form of meditation you want to undertake, your own capacity for meditation, and the meditation goals you might have. In the first instance, research what it is you want to do, then which method might be right for you. As a starting point, read advice from experts in the field. You may also be interested in learning how to meditate using mindfulness meditation, breathing meditation, compassion meditation and mantra meditation.
If you have a question, try our Meditation FAQ page. If you’re still unsure, feel free to contact us, it should be noted that only general advice can be offered via email. We share our own library of meditation books with our students. The breadth of the material available underlines how widespread and flexible the practice of meditation is. In addition to our own resources, we have access to current scientific research across contemplative science (meditation, contemplation and mindfulness). As well as being abreast of developments in meditation and related areas of psychology and neuroscience we also contribute to research and scientific discussions.
Email us if you want to join a class or have any questions. And please post your thoughts and experiences below.
Meditation for Health 