Meditation of one style or another can be found in most of the major religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. Generally, Eastern religions have tended to concentrate on meditation as a means of realising spiritual enlightenment, a fundamental part of which has been the use of many health-promoting practices that go hand in hand with the spiritual ones.

Many millions of people in the West and elsewhere in the world are active meditators. Meditation in the West is practiced for both health and religious or spiritual reasons, although many people regard it mainly as a self-help tool for improving cognitive (thought) performance and for managing stress.

Meditating for spiritual expansion and fulfilment, without a religious basis, is becoming very common.

Meditation produces a clearing of the mind in ways that promote a sense of calm and heightened awareness. Interestingly, measurements using electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) show that meditation can alter your brains activity.

For a person with serious mental illness, meditation should be used under expert guidance, and if done alone, extreme caution should be taken.

Contrary to popular belief, you dont have to sit cross-legged on the floor in order to meditate. You can also sit in a chair or in bed. However, you might just fall asleep if you try to meditate lying down at night, which will defeat the purpose.

Many people prefer to meditate while moving around. When meditating like this, it is important to make sure that your activities are an expression of inner focus, not a distraction from whatever you are experiencing. The activity is done slowly and attentively.

People can meditate while walking, swimming or doing something repetitive that is not distracting (such as washing dishes, digging in the garden or sweeping). The activity is not the purpose it is a means of focusing and holding attention on inner processes.

You can master many meditation practices by yourself. However, some people prefer to attend classes or learn in a group from an experienced teacher.

If your attention wanders, try to practice acceptance and avoid getting annoyed with yourself. Simply direct your attention back to what you are doing and your experience of that moment.

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by: Department of Health and Human Services - RHP&R - Office of the Chief Health Officer

Last updated: September 2015

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Read more:

Meditation - Better Health Channel