| Meditation is simply making a choice to focus your | | | | Over thousands of years, meditation evolved into a |
| mind on something and opening to each moment of life | | | | structured practice. Indian scriptures ?tantras? |
| with calm awareness. Mediation is inspired by a variety | | | | mentioned meditation techniques 5000 years ago. |
| of spiritual traditions, both Eastern and Western, helping | | | | Buddha, ?one of history?s major proponents of |
| people to experience the sacred. | | | | meditation,? and a major meditation icon, first made his |
| Meditation is a very powerful tool for healing body, | | | | mark around 500 B.C. His teachings were spread far |
| mind, and spirit through reducing tension, anxiety and | | | | and wide across the Asian continent. |
| stress; lowering blood pressure and cholesterol; | | | | Separate countries or cultures adopted different forms |
| creating stronger focus and concentration; and | | | | of the word ?meditation,? and they each found their |
| increasing self-understanding and self-acceptance. | | | | own unique way of practicing it. Buddhist and Hindu |
| ?Meditate? comes from the Latin word meditari, which | | | | based Eastern style meditation practices are still the |
| means ?to engage in contemplation or reflection.? It | | | | most popular today. |
| also means ?to focus one?s thoughts? on something, | | | | Meditation was spread to Western society thousands |
| or ?to reflect on or ponder? over something Meditation | | | | of years after it was adopted in the Eastern society. It |
| helps one create a serenity filled experience, melting | | | | finally started to gain popularity in Western society in |
| away day to day stress and worries. | | | | the mid-20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s, many |
| Meditation is both an ancient spiritual practice and a | | | | professors and researchers began testing the effects |
| contemporary mind-body technique for relaxing the | | | | of meditation and learned about its multitude of |
| body and calming the mind. Although meditation has a | | | | benefits. |
| short recorded history, its roots travel back to ancient | | | | There are as many types of meditation in the world as |
| times. | | | | there are religious. Mainly, meditation traditions are |
| Researchers think that primitive hunter societies may | | | | divided in two types: Eastern and Western. In Eastern |
| have discovered meditation and its altered states of | | | | meditation traditions there are two types - Hinduism |
| consciousness while staring at the flames of their fires. | | | | and Buddhism. |