I used to think meditation was some kind of ‘new age’ practice done by the sort of people who were just into the latest fad, or trying to seek attention by standing out. Of course to call meditation new age is laughable. It’s been around for thousands of years, especially in eastern cultures and religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Indeed most religions involve a form of prayer, which has marked similarities with meditation – closing your eyes and concentrating on a kind of higher power or life force, for a greater sense of well-being and connectedness.

Meditation can be most simply defined as bringing awareness into the present moment; to become aware of one’s own emotions, thoughts and surroundings at a particular time. So how does this help? Quite simply, the more awareness we have of something, the better we can deal with it. This is why we have an education system. Meditation is what they would teach in the ‘University Of Life’. It is an education on how to manage your emotions and thoughts effectively. I can say definitively, even from my relatively small time of practice that such an education makes a big difference.

Just think about it, how many times in human history have people suffered due to the irrationality caused by poor management of mind and emotions, by themselves or others? In other words, how many times could a clear head and a more objective stance have improved someone’s actions? Countless, these mistakes are made every second of every day. Of course everyone is human and many of these things will be small, but many larger ‘unconscious’ happenings have scarred the very legacy of humanity.

If you’re aware of your thoughts and emotions, you don’t get taken over by them. You don’t get trapped in your head and lose focus on the bigger picture. The failure to do this is a common element of many mental illnesses like depression and anxiety disorders. More broadly the Buddha’s explanation for all human suffering as an ‘attachment to desire’ can be interpreted as this same failure to be aware of one’s own state and surroundings. Perhaps the most basic human instinct of all is to avoid suffering.

So just how do you meditate? Well there are a variety of ways to quieten the mind and become more still. A common way is to sit somewhere free from distraction, close your eyes and notice how you are feeling. Take a few seconds to notice any emotions you have, and then a few more to notice how busy your mind is. You may then move your attention to your breath in order to quieten the mind and further increase your awareness. There are loads of guided meditations freely available on the internet, mostly lasting between 5 and 15 minutes. It may seem strange or even pointless at first, but if you stick with it you will definitely start noticing the benefits.

I’ve written this because I think there are many people suffering on this planet at the moment due to a lack of human awareness. There is much inequality, violence and hardship which is the result of many decisions taken from a state of unconsciousness – being consumed by mind and emotions rather than observing them objectively. Human intelligence is far greater than the simple tool of thought. That may sound strange, however if you try meditation I think it will seem less so.