We mostly associate meditation with Eastern teachings and/or religion because meditation as we know it today came from their cultures. There are indeed various types of meditation, and many have heard of the amazing effects that can be achieved through doing it regularly. According to Buddhist belief, there are two main types of meditation – of calmness and of wisdom.

For beginners, meditation of calmness is generally recommended and it is important to know is that there is no right or wrong way to do it. That is the beauty of this activity. The point of any meditation is to calm our mind, to focus and thus to get rid of negative energy. The way we achieve this is highly individual.

However, there are general guidelines to follow, and these are some of them:

1. You should meditate in a quiet room, without people and without any distractions.
2. Choose a body position that suits you the most and in which you feel most relaxed.
3. It is important to breathe through the stomach, not the chest.
4. It helps a lot to choose an object or concept that will be your "guide" and that you can focus on whenever your thoughts "run away".
5. It is probably better for beginners to keep their eyes closed.

Meditation itself does not need to last long. Just a few minutes a day of this practice have very positive effects on the general psychological and physical condition of the body. The goal is to stop the torrent of thoughts and to be able to focus on one thing – whether it is breathing, a certain sound, an object or a concept that you choose.

This kind of meditation also regulates the heart rate, breathing becomes more regular and deeper, and over time you gain better control over your own thoughts and even emotions.

To sum up, by practising meditation regularly, you are really doing yourself a favour and improving your quality of life in every way, so why not give it a try?