Why would anybody choose to sit and do nothing?
Meditation is an activity that doesn’t cost a cent, requires no equipment or special skills, and can be done just about anywhere. All you have to do is sit there and… exist, I guess. Amazingly, something that might seem boring and dull has the potential to be quite exhilarating.

What’s the Point?
I have found that setting aside just a few minutes a day to meditate has brought about meaningful changes in my life. It has allowed me to peel back a few layers, leaving a swifter, more agile version of myself. In addition, it has vastly improved my focus and clarity of thought, and improved my sense of interconnectedness with the world. The effects of meditation will vary based on what you are looking to get out of it, but you’ll most likely find them to be beneficial.

Why I started
In my case, I turned to meditation in order to slow things down and give my overactive brain a rest. Most of us would agree that we find it easy to get caught up in the complexity of the world, constantly having more on our minds than we would like. Our thoughts tend to meander and bounce along an intricate web of all the concrete and abstract ideas that we have ever had, and they rarely focus on anything for a significant period of time. I wanted more control: To be able to ride this roller coaster without putting the bar down.

Sounds interesting, where do I begin?
(Note that I consider myself a novice, and can only speak about what has worked for me. ) I set aside about 10 minutes a day, and here’s what I do. I turn off the lights, sit down, close my eyes, and breathe naturally. I usually just look at the dark movie screen created by the backs of my eyelids. It’s a simple way to focus my attention. When I notice that my thoughts are starting to wander, I calmly remind myself to go back to the dark screen, and continue breathing. At first, you’ll find it to be extremely difficult to keep your mind from wandering, but keep at it… it takes some practice! (I found it amusing that even when I finally did begin to maintain my focus for longer periods of time, I’d get distracted by the fact that I noticed that I was improving!)

Doing it your way
There are literally thousands of ways to meditate. We are all different, and you may find that some techniques work better than others. You can do things like watching trees blow in the wind, repeating a mantra, or just experience … being. The possibilities are pretty much endless, and you can get really creative here. Find out what works for you, and just be forewarned: Meditation just might turn out to be one of those things that you can’t stop doing, and wonder how you ever lived without.