Our brain is said to be the profound distinction between human and that of other living counterparts, the ability to reflect and reason is what sets us apart. Ironically though, this very advantage drives us to our weakness.

Stress, anxiety, depression, do all these sound familiar? Yes. They are the modern-day bogeyman. These are the things we force ourselves to endure in our day to day living. Among the three, "stress" is probably the common denominator of today's living, in fact, a survey done by the <a href="http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2015/impact-of-discrimination.pdf">American Psychological Association</a> revealed a significant percentage of American adults reported that stress greatly impacts their physical and mental health. But the strange thing is most of them say they are not doing anything about it.

Although a release of stress hormones is part of our body's natural physiologic response to a threat, which is, of course, useful in times of danger; however, chronic stress caused by our own thoughts and worries is linked to greater health problems such as cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, stomach ulcer, obesity and many more.

So, how do we stop stress? The answer is simple, be mindful. Stress is a product of mental action and/or reaction. There's a saying that goes "it's all in the mind", tackle your mind head-on.

Meditation

Meditation is a practice of mindfulness, it teaches mental focus and clarity. Its roots go far back our time, which is linked to various religious practices, but you certainly do not need to be religious to be able to practice meditation.

A wide variety of research has proven that meditation can significantly improve one's health and well-being. A scientific study revealed an increase in regional brain gray matter density in people who practiced meditation. This was explained in an interview with Sarah Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, read the article in the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/05/26/harvard-neuroscientist-meditation-not-only-reduces-stress-it-literally-changes-your-brain/?utm_term=.8290383ee1cf">Washington Post.</a>

Among the many benefits of meditation are:
<ul>
 	<li>Decreases blood pressure</li>
 	<li>Improves blood flow</li>
 	<li>Decreases heart rate</li>
 	<li>Decreases anxiety</li>
 	<li>Decreases cortisol level</li>
 	<li>Promotes deep relaxation</li>
 	<li>Decreases stress</li>
</ul>
There are three main forms of meditation: Physical posture, Mindfulness, and Mental silence. One or a combination of these forms are incorporated into many types of meditation and their teaching vary with respect to the practice of different techniques.

Types of Meditation

1.Buddhist Meditation
<ul>
 	<li>Zen (Zazen), Zazen a Japanese word which means "seated meditation". Its origin came from the Chinese Zen Buddhism tradition. It focuses on breathing while in a sitting position.
<ul>
 	<li>Learn more about <a href="http://www.openway.org.au/pdf/introzen.pdf">Zen Meditation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
 	<li>Vipassana Meditation. The Pali (a language in India) word "Vipassana" means insight or visual clarity. The technique teaches the focus of breathing, recognizing movements and objects in the mind but merely noting them and not dwell on them, this is what they call "knowing and letting go". Unlike Zen, Vipassana includes moving exercises such meditative walking, hand gestures, and standing meditation.
<ul>
 	<li>Learn more about <a href="http://www.vipassanadhura.com/index.htm">Vipassana</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://www.quora.com/Meditation/In-meditation-what-are-the-different-types-of-Vipassana-What-are-the-big-differences-in-philosophy-or-practice">Types of Vipassana</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
 	<li>Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. It is mainly an adaption of the traditional Buddhist meditation like Vipassana, MBSR gained popularity in the Western countries when it was developed in 1979 by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Kabat-Zinn">John Kabat-Zinn.</a>
<ul>
 	<li>Learn more about Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or <a href="https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/abl0293">MBSR</a></li>
 	<li>Free online lesson on <a href="https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/abl0293">Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
 	<li>Metta Meditation. Metta a Pali word for "kindness". This type of meditation puts emphasis on compassion and to increase one's ability to empathize with others.
<ul>
 	<li>Learn more about <a href="http://www.mettainstitute.org/">Metta Meditation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
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2. Hindu Meditation
<ul>
 	<li>Mantra Meditation. A mantra is any syllable or word without a particular meaning, it is repeated while meditating in order to focus the mind. Mantra meditation is usually done in a sitting position, silently repeating the chosen mantra throughout the whole session.
<ul>
 	<li>Learn more about <a href="http://www.swamij.com/om-mantra.htm">Mantra Meditation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
 	<li>Transcendental Meditation. A form of mantra meditation founded by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharishi_Mahesh_Yogi">Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.</a> It is one of the widely practiced forms of mantra meditation. However, access to this meditation is not free and can only be taught by a licensed instructor.
<ul>
 	<li>Learn more about <a href="https://www.tm.org/">Transcendental Meditation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
 	<li>Yogic Meditation. The yoga is the oldest meditation tradition. There are thousands and more variations of yoga. The classical yoga involves the practice of asanas ( physical posture), pranayama (breathing exercise), and much more contemplative practice.
<ul>
 	<li>Learn more about <a href="http://www.kahlmah.com/yoga-for-beginners/">Yoga</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://www.yogajournal.com/meditation">Yoga Journal</a></li>
 	<li><a href="http://yogawithadriene.com/">Yoga with Adriane</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
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3. Chinese Meditation
<ul>
 	<li>Taoist Meditation. a Chinese philosophy on living in harmony with nature.
<ul>
 	<li>Learn more about <a href="http://1stholistic.com/meditation/hol_meditation_taoist_meditation.htm">Taoist Meditation</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
 	<li>Qigong or Chi Kung, a word in Chinese that means "life energy cultivation".
<ul>
 	<li>Learn more about <a href="https://www.qigonginstitute.org/category/4/getting-started">Qigong</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

4. Christian Meditation
<ul>
 	<li>The Christian method of meditation is focused on contemplative practice with the goal of soul purification, which is mainly achieved in a form of contemplative prayer and reading the Bible.</li>
</ul>
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5. Guided Meditation
<ul>
 	<li>Guided meditation is a more recent type of meditation, it is basically an adaptation of all the classical type of meditation. I like to refer to it as a modern day meditation. There are many available materials of guided meditation both in-store and online which is easily accessible to all.
<ul>
 	<li>Free resources: <a href="http://marc.ucla.edu/mindful-meditations">Guided Meditation</a>, <a href="https://free-binaural-beats.com/">Binaural Beats</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

In whichever form or type of meditation, the idea of meditation is basically the same that is, "to be in the present moment". There is no exact tangible and intangible goal or definition of thought just focused attention. Meditation is not judgemental, which makes it a great practice to develop that deeper sense of wellbeing.

In my personal view, meditation does not necessarily need to rely on a certain belief or religion, however knowing them may guide a person to finding the right path to practice meditation. My initial interest in meditation started when I sought a solution for my sleeping problems. I started with a guided meditation which I found very helpful from that my interest grew and decided to learn more about the other traditional types of meditation. Among them, the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Yoga particularly Hatha Yoga resonated the most.

Try this simple basic meditation exercise which you can do here and now

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