Meditation, key to well being?

Not a problem. It's such a useful tool. Meditation's MAIN goal is awareness. And, just stopping for ten measly seconds can bring such perspective.

I worked in several schools where everyone meditated in the morning before classes. We're talking high schools(both public and private). An interesting side effect was that we had zero violence. The kids were pretty mellow, not stressed out.

I guess meditation is one of many tools that help people.

I enjoy meditation quite a bit. But I agree that it can be difficult when others are judging you. This is why i personally enjoy walking meditation. Reflection on thought while walking through nature seems to help my frame of mind a great deal and i enjoy being around nature and feeling all the energy around me flowing peacefully. Sometimes i listen to calming instrumental music and sometimes, when there aren't any people around to make noise, I simply listen to nature. I like to stop and sit to meditate for a while before I turn back to head home as at that point I am deep into nature and already calmed so I can experience deeper focus and introspection. Then I can walk home and ease myself back into life during the walk. These walks are generally fifteen minute to half an hour walks (one way) with half an hour to two hours of sitting meditation inbetween. This works very well for me.

If you watch even only a minute or so of this, skip to 9:16 onward, which I think is most important to understand about what meditation does for us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZxhGmzAX-nA#t=556s

"The scientific interest in meditation and mindfulness practice has recently seen an unprecedented surge. After an initial phase of presenting beneficial effects of mindfulness practice in various domains, research is now seeking to unravel the underlying psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms.

Advances in understanding these processes are required for improving and fine-tuning mindfulness-based interventions that target specific conditions such as eating disordersor attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.

This review presents a theoretical frame work that emphasizes the central role of attentional control mechanisms in the development of mindfulness skills. It discusses the phenomenological level of experience during meditation, the different attentional functions that are involved, and relates these to the brain networks that subserve these functions.

On the basis of currently available empirical evidence, specific processes as to how attention exerts its positive influence are considered and it is concluded that meditation practice appears to positively impact attentional functions by improving resource allocation processes.

As a result, attentional resources are allocated more fully during early processing phases which subsequently enhance further processing.

Neural changes resulting from a pure form of mindfulness practice that is central to most mindfulness programs are considered from the perspective that they constitute a useful reference point for future research. Furthermore, possible interrelations between the improvement of attentional control and emotion regulation skills are discussed."



Source: Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation
Peter Malinowski
http://www.frontiersin.org/Neuroscience/10.3389/fnins.2013.00008/abstract

Sitting isn't the only position for meditation.
Just on a chair, or park bench. Forget about
troubles. Most or every place around the world,
meditates.