Why do people meditate?

People meditate for different reasons: to feel calm, to diminish stress or pain, to get through a crisis, or to engage in a spiritual practice. We might approach meditation for specific reasons, and then discover that we want to attain a different level of consciousness or a deeper, more gratifying state of relaxation. While practicing meditation, we may feel more alert and resourceful in our daily lives.

The reasons people meditate are as varied as the types of mediation that are available. Many people meditate as part of their religious or spiritual practice while others use it for medical purposes.

Since the early 1970’s in the United States, there has been an increased interest in meditation for its therapeutic effect. It has been found to boost the immune system, improve the body’s response to insulin, reduce blood pressure, and improve the quality of life for patients with congestive heart failure and cancer. Meditation can also reduce anxiety, help with insomnia and improve longevity.

Meditation is a process that involves relaxing the body and quieting the mind. There are many types of meditation. Transcendental meditation requires the participant to repeat a word or phrase known as a mantra. Some forms focus on the breath and still others such as Tai Chi can be done through movement.

The bottom line: Regardless of the initial reason that gets them started most people meditate because it helps them to feel good.

In my 35 years of teaching meditation to thousands of people, I ask people at the first class what they are looking for. Most say stress reduction or feeling less anxious or calming the mind. As the class progresses, though, it becomes clear that many people were looking for more, for things they could not have articulated at the first class, such as

• a feeling of meaning and purpose in life
• awakening their creativity
• the ability to understand and relate to other people
• connecting to a Higher Power, which some people call God, or Spirit
• receiving inner guidance in making decisions
• being able to rise above the ups and downs of life.

All these are possible through meditation. In my classes I use two books by my spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy: Meditation: Man-Perfection in God-Satisfaction, and 101 Meditation Techniques.