Meditation is a state of mental discipline where the 'thinking' mind enters into a deeper state of relaxation and awareness. Meditation is an intensely personal and spiritual experience. The purpose of meditation technique is to channel our awareness into a more positive direction by totally transforming the state of mind. Many meditation practitioners use mantras or an object that they intensely focus on to reach this stage of concentration and absorption.

According to ancient scriptures, 'the process of meditation usually entails the three stages - concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and absorption (samadhi).

In this age of stress, people are increasingly turning towards various meditative techniques. They do this for inner peace or to cope with the increasing stress of modern day lifestyles. Many people do it to attain a positive balance in their busy and stressful lives by directing their energy. Even physicians claim that managing negativity and emotional health is as important as caring for the physical body.

Though meditation is usually recognized as a largely spiritual practice, however, healers claim that a yoga workout along with meditation is a holistic way to healthy physically, mentally and spiritually.

Yoga practice helps to alleviate depression by reducing the physiological manifestations of stress and by raising the levels of endorphins. Yoga exercises balance the hormones in the body by stretching and influencing our endocrine glands. By putting pressure on the organs and glands, a healing chemical balance in our body is achieved. The strengthening and stretching movements in the exercises flush away the toxins from our bodies.

On the other hand, Meditation helps to overcome stress, gives a feeling of peace and and achieve a mental balance. It also clarifies our thoughts and mind and gives a feeling of alertness. Spiritualists claim that meditation techniques increase will-power, memory and are great for anger management and emotional wellness.

Yoga and Meditation lessons are being offered at spas and yoga centers everywhere.

The techniques of yoga and meditation are also being used for management of life threatening diseases, in reversal of mental illnesses, in accelerated learning programs, in perceptions and communications beyond the physical, in gaining better ecological understanding and in management of lifestyle and future world problems.

Though yoga and Meditation are increasingly seen as useful treatments for many problems, they require a long-term commitment as they do not produce immediate and fast results. But if persistent, these arts of self-acceptance and calming of mind and body can be wonderful complementary remedies for emotional, physical and spiritual health.