Meditation today is known to be part of alternative medicine, in which, it focuses on the mind-body practice.
There are actually more than one meditation types—but you can see that most of them have a religious and spiritual origin. People who practice meditation use certain techniques like doing some vague posture, focusing and placing attention on a single thing, and the ability to deal with distractions.
There are many uses of meditation—it relieves stress, it increases coping mechanisms, it helps us in perfecting balance in our lives and our body processes.
The Origin of Meditation
Meditation has been around even during the prehistoric era. It is usually associated with religious practices, where actions and postures are performed in harmony with rhythm of the sound like the chanting.
According to the earliest written document about meditation (1500 BC, source: Wiki), it originally started in India, as they embraced the traditions of Hinduism. Other records of early practice in Meditation were also found in Taoist China.
Records of meditation in Buddhism are also found in Pali Canon (still n India) which dated back in 1st Century BC. It indicated the different levels as well as states of meditation, and the four fundamentals to salvation—contemplative concentration, morality, liberation and knowledge. In 100 BC, Buddhism came to China and they also adopted the Buddhism meditation, and later on created meditation passages (focuses on enlightened wisdom), which is strongly connected to zen.
Celebrities Who Practice Meditation
Surprisingly, popular celebrities are practicing meditation to ease their stress and to maintain their youthfulness and vibrancy. Angelina Jolie, for example, practices meditation regularly for 6 days a week. Demi Moore is another Hollywood actress who’s very captivating for being younger looking. She even participates on the healing center Deepak Chopra has founded. Among the others are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Katy Perry, and Kourtney Kardaishan.
Meditation has evolved from purely spiritual to scientific and has become a part of medical practice nowadays. With the proven benefits that meditation can offer to our health, we can now start practicing meditation during our leisure time. Keep your heart and emotional state healthy by meditating. Take a break!—and Meditate.
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