Meditation
Today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious or cultural settings as a form of mind-body medicine. Many claims have been made about its value in promoting or improving health and wellness.
There are many types of meditation. Generally, a person who is meditating uses certain techniques, such as focusing attention on a word, an object or breath; a specific posture; or an open attitude toward distracting thoughts and emotions. In meditation, a person learns to focus his attention and suspend the stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind. Meditation can be practiced for various reasons – for example, to increase physical relaxation, promote mental calmness and psychological balance, to cope with one or more conditions or for overall wellness.
Most types of meditation have four elements in common:
- A quiet location
- A specific, comfortable posture
- A focus of attention
- An open attitude
- Meditation is practiced both on its own and as a component of some other therapies, such as yoga, tai chi and qi gong.
(SOURCE: NCCAM, National Institutes of Health)