Meditation is both an ancient spiritual practice as well as a contemporary technique for relaxing the body and calming the mind. It is recognized as a component of almost all religions, and has been practised for over 5,000 years.
Experienced meditators achieve a state of consciousness in which they experience the world in a distinctly different and clearer way. The experience has been described as comprising moments of contentless awareness, bliss, broader awareness, all-encompassing compassion and love, awareness of being present and being connected to other beings and/or a transcendent reality, together with moments of special insight and knowledge.
The Beckley Foundation is investigating the physiological basis of mediation as part of its programme of research into altered states of consciousness.
