Meditation has entered the mainstream in a big way. From being considered as an esoteric practice to being a daily routine for many, meditation is rapidly becoming ubiquitous. Millions of people, who subscribe to new age thoughts, have already made it an essential daily practice to get centered, remove stress and more.

The holistic effects of meditation on physical body cannot be denied. Nor can we deny its effects on our mental and spiritual well being. The regular meditators experience a surge of energy in body. They feel more grounded as well as detached that allows them to engage in the daily life more effectively. Many have reported to become more creative and more productive.

Many new age gurus say it is a method to silence the mind. Many hold the view that it is a method to control the mind while others say that it is a method to watch the mind. All viewpoints are correct. They essentially mean the same thing. Meditation is a method to discover that you are not your thoughts. If you think about it, most of you are your thoughts. The moment a thought arises most of us start acting it out. If you have a thought of love towards somebody, immediately you may begin to think of meeting him which may trigger another thought that may give birth to yet another. This is called the train of thoughts. You become so immersed in it that you have no time to step back and ponder who the thinker of the thought is. And most of the times we think repetitive thoughts that have no use. Most of the time our mind goes round and round thinking same thoughts until we get a headache. Meditation is way to find a place that transcends that train of thoughts and emotions. It is a way to find real you. It is a method to discover the essence of life.

Think about it. Are you really your thought or something else that is capable of having thought? You do not have to struggle too hard to find out that you are the thinker and not the thoughts themselves. Many times while watching a movie I suddenly become aware of a presence that is detached from everything. The movie is going on but this observer stays alert and detached from whatever is happening. Or while watching a sunset, I become aware of this presence. It will be more accurate to say that I become this presence. I suddenly feel lightness in body. This becomes a sort of meditation too. The crucial point is that I do not try to find the observer. You can not try to meditate. You have to create conditions of allowing meditation to happen. I am so immersed in watching a movie or a sunset that suddenly my attention is split into two on its own without my trying. This is often a fleeting moment that you may want to hold on because of its sheer simplicity. But it slips away fast.

Meditation makes the experience of this silent observer more accessible. Thus, meditation is the method of finding the thinker, the silent observer, the spirit, the soul that stands behind every experience. You may choose your terms but the idea is same. There is a presence that is beyond your thought and meditation is the practice of discovering that. There are lots of meditation techniques that suit the persons of different mental setup. Even the simple act of watching your breath can be a meditation. You can explore the various methods of meditation and decide the most suitable method for yourself.