What is meditation?

It is commonly believed that meditation is sitting in the lotus position, clearing your mind, and isolating yourself from the world. It is none of these three things. First, there are different techniques for meditating in motion, walking, or in a horizontal position. Second, the mind is never blank, unless the meditator is a plant or deceased. Finally, meditating is not isolating oneself, but rather entering a deep state of communion.

Meditation is, above all, an inner act of attention. It can be done through a mantra, generating sound vibrations in the brain. Or one can meditate through dance. Many groups meditate with visualizations of light, or by concentrating on the figure of a mandala. Ultimately, there are as many possible meditation techniques as there are individuals in the world. But there is one thing that runs through them all: breathing. By maintaining awareness of it, a greater attention to the body and mind is immediately generated. And that, fundamentally, is what meditation is about: generating greater attention, greater awareness of what is happening inside.

Source: Semana Magazine.