Meditation is not just an Eastern esoteric practice. In one form or another and under different names it has been around for centuries in both East and West. It has been practised by monks, mystics and intellectuals alike - from St. Thomas Aquinas to Nikola Tesla and Sherlock Holmes who liked to simply sit down and “throw his brain out of action” before solving any difficult case.

The word meditation itself can mean different things for different people - focusing on the breath, mantra, a sound, an object or an area of the body, keeping the eyes closed or open. But what is it that all these different techniques have in common? It’s bringing together focus and relaxation (creating a sort of a “relaxed focus”). Being truly present, but not “eaten up” by the experience. Just watching.

We are so much used to reacting to whatever happens around us. But what if we just stop for a moment and listen instead - staying still as everything keeps moving and changing, around and within us alike? What if we simply step back, stop swimming in our thoughts and just stand on the river bank for a moment watching as the water flows by? Could this be a path to wisdom?

Photo credits: #3 Dao by Mitja Kobal

Do you know that the physical postures most of us think of when saying “yoga” today were initially just an introduction into meditation? According to Classical yoga, the asanas were intended only for making the body strong and steady enough to be able to spend longer time meditating. The breathing practices were similarly used to enhance health and reach deeper levels of focus. According to Patanjali, the compiler of Yoga Sutras somewhere around 400 CE, yoga itself is stilling the restless mind. Through a process of moral, physical and mental discipline we try to purify the mind so it can become like clear water that reflects universal wisdom.

The motives for meditating in the contemporary society are much different than in the times of Patanjali. Instead of searching for wisdom we are more after the therapeutic benefits of meditation. The modern meditator is looking for a way to fight stress and rest from the chronic information overload. And the good thing is that it actually works! Taking a step back and looking at our worries with detachment we suddenly feel like Alice in Wonderland, who realised that the Queen of Hearts and whole her army are just a stack of harmless playing cards.

There is a growing body of scientific research about benefits of different meditation techniques. One of the studies for example, shows that regular practice of simple mindfulness meditation can cause structural changes in grey matter of the brain, especially in the areas in charge for learning and memory processes, emotion regulation and the perception of self. If you want to find out more, there is a nice article I recently found on psychologytoday.com that explains in plain language what happens with the brain “on meditation”, check it out.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t even matter what your motivation to start practising meditation is. The beautiful thing is that with time and patience your practice will grow out of any motive and become a purpose to itself, gently transforming you on its way in a calmer, more compassionate and more balanced person.