Meditation is the practice of disciplining the mind in order to
quieten mental chatter and transcend worldly noise to find a
feeling of tranquillity and peace. Practised for 20 minutes a
day, meditation will energize you and improve your
concentration, health and wellbeing. There are many methods of
meditating, but most practice falls into two categories:
concentration or overall awareness. In the former you focus on
one thing – a beautiful object, your breath, the flame of a
candle or a mantra (a simple repeated sound) – to quieten your
thoughts. Although meditation comes into most major religions,
including Christianity and Judaism, it is not in itself tied to
any religious group or specific creed. ‘If you meditate twice a
day to break up the high levels of energy the body produces
under stress, the nervous system can rest more easily at the
day’s end.’ Stuart Shipko MD, psychiatrist and medical director
for the Panic Disorders Institute at the Good Samaritan
Hospital, Los Angeles. In the late 1960s and 70s