Throughout history, Buddhist monks and Eastern religion have practiced meditation, but recently everyone has tried it. Meditation is a practice through which someone can train their mind to be in a state of awareness that benefits their mind and body. Meditation involves paying attention, concentrating, and being very calm. It sharpens creativity and performance while improving relationships. Meditators discover that when they stop taking things in life so seriously, the self collapses. They are more direct and absorb life more easily. (Ellison 3&6) Meditation has been around for thousands of years. In every religion, the instructions for meditating are the same, only the words differ. There are two main types of meditation that can benefit the user. By meditating, the human mind can find peace and improve its mental activity and consciousness. It's very simple to do and only takes a small portion of your time per day. (Roach 3) Meditation has its origins in Eastern religion with Buddhism and Hinduism. Monks meditated throughout their lives, over time, to help them become better people. Tibetans and the Dalai Lama have practiced meditation intensely for centuries. These Buddhist practitioners train using the Tibetan Nyingmapa and Kagyupa traditions for approximately 10,000 to 50,000 hours over 15 to 40 years. At one time, meditation was part of the basic training of the entire Mozambican army. (Kaufman 2)(Roach 2)Thinking and other mental activities produce short bursts of electrical activity in the brain called gamma waves. In studies, monks who train the longest have higher levels of gamma waves. Gamma waves are among the most frequent brain impulses; they are also the brain's most important electrical impulses. G...... middle of paper ...... and let your mind be vigilant. If you hear distractions or have thoughts, let them go. Be glad you noticed them; don't feel like they interrupted your meditation. Continue doing this daily for 10 to 20 minutes and notice the effects it can have on you. Continue this practice until it becomes easier and use it whenever you need it. The scientific data shows that it has its benefits, as I have listed most of them. Most doctor visits are due to stress, so by meditating once or twice a day, there will be fewer doctor visits. In fact, I'm thinking of trying it myself. If the benefits seem as great to you as they do to me, I hope you'll try it for yourself. Meditation can help you balance your life, why not try it? It's quite simple and quick. In the future, I predict that meditation will be an important part of any person's life to help deal with daily frustrations a little easier. (Roach 3)