Meditation is one of the most natural and most rewarding of all human activities. The great master of yoga, Paramhansa Yogananda, defined meditation as “deep concentration on God or one of His aspects.” Practiced on a daily basis it produces astonishing results on all levels of your being: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It connects you with your own inner powers of vitality, clarity, and love. When done deeply, it also gives you an expanded sense of connection with life and an experience of profound joy.

Meditation has three aspects: relaxation, interiorization, and expansion. The process, stated simply, is: a) Relax completely, both physically and mentally; b) Interiorize your mind and concentrate one-pointedly, usually at the point between the eyebrows; c) Focus your concentrated mind on an aspect of your own deeper self or of God, such as love, joy, or light. This will help to naturally expand your consciousness.

Although this process is simple to explain, the actual attainment of deeper states requires dedication and discipline. Yet even a little practice of meditation gives immediate results. Meditators find that practicing even a few minutes a day increases their sense of well-being and brings increased joy.

There is an innate yearning in each of us to expand our awareness, to know who and what we really are, and to experience union with God. At a certain stage in this “eternal quest,” as Paramhansa Yogananda called it, we are guided to find inner stillness through the practice of meditation. Restless thoughts are a kind of mental “static” that must be silenced if we are to hear the whispers of our own inner self. -Jyotish Novak from How to Meditate