If most of us were to admit it, we spend more time distracted than focused. According to research conducted at Harvard, about 47 percent of the time we’re awake, we’re not really paying complete attention to what we’re doing. Ironically, the study was conducted arming 2,200 participants, ages 18 to 88, with an iPhone app.

At random times during the day, the app would beep in and ask them questions about what they were doing, thinking, and if they were happy. Now, seriously, is there anything that makes your mind wander more than your iPhone? But, the results say, we’re less happy when our minds are flitting all over the place.

Anyone who follows the Buddhist practice of mindfulness meditation might treat that news with a very spiritual, “Duh.” The discipline is, technically, simple. It involves staying in the moment, observing your thoughts and feelings, and not judging them. Some teachers liken it to sitting on the bank of a river watching the boats go by, but not jumping on one. Training in mindfulness is being used by psychologists to treat everything from severe anxiety to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Science is now telling us, however, that meditation actually causes detectable physical changes in the brain. In fact, there’s a name for the discipline, “contemplative neuroscience.” The study of what happens in the human brain when we meditate. Research in the field shows that brain circuits can be strengthened by working on changing simple habits of the mind.

One study proved increased activity in the left-side anterior region of the brain, which is the source of our positive emotions. Do you have to be a Buddhist monk to get there? No. The change was evident in new meditators who had only been practicing for two months.

What most of us don’t realize is that our brains have a sort of “default” mode — the thoughts we go to when we’re not really focusing on something, but just “wool gathering.” And what do those wandering thoughts do? They get negative and zero in on the things that stress us out and make us anxious. The more you meditate — even just non-judgmentally focusing on your breath — the more you improve the quality of your mind’s default state.

Feel like you could use a mental re-boot? A better version of your current operating system? It may be as simple as taking 15-20 minutes a day engaged in some form of meditation.

In its simplest form meditation is the practice of calming your body and mind to perform inner contemplation. You perform mental exercises to cultive a sense of physical and emotional well being. The classic Eastern practice of this has you sitting with your spine straight, legs crossed and forefinger and thumb together as you release the sound of “ohm.” But many people simply assume a comfortable pose and then clear their minds.

Situations such as an asthma attack or acute pain can create stress, anxiety, and muscle tension. These reactions make the situation worse.

The variations are numerous: some people focus on an external object, such as a candle. Others find that they can clear their minds easier by concentrating on their breathing. Some even silently repeat a word or a phrase.

One student of meditation has described it as inner astronomy. Through meditation you discover the stars, the moon and the sun . . . all within you. Most closely associated with advanced spiritual development, Eastern medicine has claimed that meditation can help a person improve his physical health as well.

For many years conventional Western medicine paid scant attention to meditation and even less to its “allegedly” benefits. But recently, studies have shown that meditation can indeed have immense health benefits. Meditation is an example of how the body and mind can work together in order to generate a state of well-being.

Meditation can be an effective complement to conventional medical treatment. By calming the mind, many individuals have experienced remarkable improvements in such health conditions as blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, depression, anxiety, and stress. Many have even reported that chronic pain lessens when they meditate regularly and their problems with insomnia have decreased.

But more than that, studies have shown that even AIDS patients and those suffering with cancer benefit from practicing meditation. Some doctors have even noted that continued meditation may even help those addicted to drugs and alcohol.

The exact mechanisms by which meditation work are not fully known as of yet, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Currently, the National Institutes of Health are sponsoring several studies to discover more in depth knowledge about the effects of meditation, how it works and for what health conditions it would be most beneficial.

Researchers do know that meditation produces changes in the body’s autonomic nervous system which then alters your body’s “fight or flight” response which dictates how you body responds to stress as well as how your organs, and muscles perform. One of the best aspects of meditation is that unlike harsh prescription medicines given for depression or for heart-related conditions, it is free of side effects.

Resource: Ultimate Guide to Meditation

Is using spiritual meditation to change your life for the better possible? Most believe that, yes, it is. There are countless stories of people who are just like you, or even in worse positions who have used spiritual meditation to change their lives and overcome any and all obstacles that they have had to face in their lifetime.

When we are going through a hard time with our life, we often wonder if it’s because we’re doing something wrong or because of something we’ve done in the past. We feel we are being punished. In some cases we place the blame elsewhere so that we don’t have to think that we might be the problem. However, using spiritual meditation can help you find the answers that you are seeking.

The basic premise of spiritual meditation is to clear your mind from all that which is keeping you from seeing the bigger picture. If you start using spiritual meditation in your daily life, you will notice that you mind is much clearer and anything that you have got to do, you’ll be able handle with no problems at all.

If you’re a businessman who’s been stressed at work lately, you’ll find that adding meditation to your daily activities will give you more energy, replenish you, and help keep your brain strong for the tasks ahead. You’ll start making better decisions; you’ll start taking more action, and getting more done. You’ll reap the benefits at work as well as at home. You’ll come home and have enough energy and mental clarity to be able to spend time with your wife and kids, and not just lay about, tired from your day’s work.

Even if you aren’t an over-stressed business man, you can still benefit from spiritual meditation, no matter what your occupation. You may believe meditation holds the key to further exploring and understanding your spirituality. The human mind does not like to stand still. It is more like a river – always flowing, from one thought to the next.

When you put effort into calming your thoughts, you’ll find a lot of interesting things start happening. You’ll find that a few thoughts will come into your mind consistently more than others will. You’ll also find that you think about a lot of things that don’t affect you nearly as much as you think they do. You will also begin to notice that anxieties and fears start to dwindle. This is not an overnight fix, but, over time you will begin to enjoy these benefits and more.

When your mind isn’t full of thoughts all the time, thoughts of your fears, thoughts of successes, wants, etc., and your brain can work more efficiently and you’ll be able to achieve much more, while doing less work than you previously did. Spiritual meditation can have profound effects on your life.

The mind — consciousness — is carried through our body by physical energy.This is why physical sickness and discomfort can affect our state of mind and why, in turn, mental attitudes can both give rise to and heal physical problems.

If you want to start meditating, keep in mind that no matter the style, all forms have four common elements. The first is a distraction-free environment. Especially if you’re just starting a meditation habit, you’ll want to choose a location that is as free of noises and interruptions as possible. The quieter your environment is the better. As you develop your skills, you may be able to block out the noises and be able to meditate in public places, like waiting rooms, airport lobbies or other areas.

Remember that the mind and body are interdependent. Because the state of one affects the state of the other. Some suggest you employ the classic Eastern pose sitting upright, spine straight, legs crossed in order to maximize your benefits. The NCCAM, however, explains that meditation can be performed in just about any posture, including sitting, standing or lying down. The Center also explains that you can even meditate while walking.

In fact, there is an ancient form of meditation that is just now making a revival. It’s called labyrinth walking. The individual walks through a large circuitous route made of hedges or trees to the center of the structure. This physical walk symbolizes the spiritual journey into the inner self.

The third common element of all meditation is a focus of attention. Whether you choose to concentrate on your breath as you exhale and inhale or an external object is a matter of personal preference and effectiveness. You may even want to develop your own personal mantra to recite as you meditate. A mantra is a single word or even a phrase that you repeat as you focus your thoughts. Many people simply choose the ohm sound. Others prefer, depending on their religious affiliation love, Jesus, Lord or other words meaningful to them.

All meditation also requires that the practitioner has a nonjudgmental attitude. As you attempt to clear your mind of all thoughts, you need to be patient with yourself. Don’t immediately judge yourself as bad if you have problems, especially when you’re first starting out, clearing your mind.

Many mediators claim that the mind at first resists such clearing. They claim the ego section of the mind is the originator of these incessant thoughts. When you begin to quiet it, the ego believes it’s being pushed aside. So during your first several sessions, you may notice an increase in mindless chatter.

One of the hallmarks of meditation is that you clear your mind of all “clutter”, the self-chatter of thoughts that run through your mind sometimes at a rapid pace. When you find your mind wandering from your field of focus, very gently bring your thoughts back.

Meditation is best practiced twice a day in the morning upon rising and before going to sleep in the evening. In fact, Dr. Raj Kapoor, M.D., an internist in Pittsburgh, PA, and practitioner of meditation recommends that your morning habit is best practiced between the hours of 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. These hours, he says, are considered sacred in such cultures as India. He also recommends that you face the north or the east when performing your meditation.

There are many forms and variations of meditation, so if one particular form doesn’t work for you, try another. Look into some books on meditation to discover which type is best for you. If you feel better after meditating, you’re doing it correctly.

Resource: Ultimate Guide to Meditation