Meditation: More Than Relaxation

Meditation is a brain-boosting, stress-busting activity that is now embraced by everyone from the U.S. military to corporate executives. And if you're living a busy, hectic life — and can't fathom finding time to sit cross-legged in a quiet room — you're an ideal candidate too.

"If you don't have 30 minutes to meditate, you probably need an hour," said Tamara Gerlach, a San Francisco-based meditation student and teacher. "The people who race through their life are usually the ones who could use some focus and serenity."

Your mind is a muscle you can train; meditation is the tool used to focus it or quiet it down. Every day thousands of thoughts zip through our heads, something Gerlach likens to a jar of dirty water: Keep shaking up the jar — or your head — and it will remain clouded. But "if we set the jar down, letting the dirt particles settle to the bottom, it leaves clarity at the top," she said.

Meditation will not stop your thoughts. It will not empty your mind. Instead, proponents say, it teaches you how to replace the mental chatter in your head with stillness. This ability helps us live more consciously in the present moment.

"Through more mindful attention, we can make wise choices," said Joseph Goldstein, who has been leading meditation retreats worldwide since 1974 and co-founded the Insight Meditation Society. "As the Vietnamese meditation master Thich Nhat Hanh remarked, 'Happiness is available. Please help yourselves to it.'"

Still confused? Take a long, slow, deep belly breath and read on. (MORE)

Source: Chicago Tribune