In Sanskrit, while there are many words for different levels of meditation, there is no word for meditation. It's believed that meditation comes from "middle" from the Middle Ages and means "to connect with the centre of your being". It's also thought that meditation comes from the Tibetan word "gom", which means "to become familiar with". Meditation allows us to connect with and become familiar with our true Self; the Consciousness that transcends the physical being. Connecting to your True Nature opens a space for presence. Living from the place invites balance, clarity and composure in our daily life. We're able to maximise our creativity, intelligence, gratitude and our grace. We're able to take a step back from ourselves, allowing us to see things more objectively which helps us to problem solve and better equips us to deal with life challenges.   

Neuroscientists have studied meditation for the past two decades to prove its benefits for mental health. With the influx of recent meditation research, we are getting a much better understanding of the measurable mental and physical health benefits of meditation. Harvard research shows that within 8-weeks of consistent practice, meditation offers the brain and increase in neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to change, reorganise, or grow neural networks in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli. It's believed that we have between 50,000 - 70,000 thoughts a day. Most of these thoughts tend to be the same, so if you are thinking depressive, anxious and negative thoughts, this is the reality you are creating for yourself. Meditation is a practice that allows us to see the patterns of our mind, to move through the negativity and cultivate more positive ways of being. In time, meditation creates more space between our thoughts and we're able to experience states of no thought. By focusing on nothing, there is a recalibration of the nervous system back to higher states of Consciousness.

Here are some interesting articles and talks about the benefits of meditation:

• Breathing Happiness: New TEDx Talk by Emma Seppälä
• All it takes is 10 mindful minutes
• Harvard Study Proves that Meditation Rebuilds Brain's Gray matter in 8 Weeks
• Science Says Silence is Vital For Our Brains
• Why Meditation Is Like Physical Exercise for the Brain
• 7 Ways Meditation Can Treat Depression
• Your Brain on Meditation