Meditation as a practice is considered to have begun over 6000 years ago, and is a practice that takes many varieties of form in the present. Some meditation techniques involve focussing on the breath, such as Vipassna , while other practices advocate chanting of a mantra such as Om to focus the mind and keep it in the present.
These meditation practices are passive and take a lot of practice, although the benefits of mastering these specific types of meditation are long lasting and profound. These types of meditation are usually considered more spiritual than other types, although you can certainly practice these methods without a spiritual inclination.
Other types of meditation are more activity based - my sister meditates every day while washing dishes at the kitchen sink, as she allows her mind to de-focus and relax and finds this very soothing. There are also practices such as dynamic meditation, which involves shaking the body vigorously and making spontaneous sounds,
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