Youve probably heard that meditation can be beneficial, but how much do you actually know about it? Many aspects of meditation are often misunderstood or misinterpreted. Lets debunk some of these myths so you can start reaping the rewards.

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In its purest form, meditation is about focusing on emptiness. However, you dont have to do that. Meditation is effective as long as you merely minimise distracting thoughts.

Mindfulness meditation is perhaps the most accessible form of meditation. And as psychologist Mike Brooks puts it, with mindfulness meditation, its not about clearing your mind and more about focusing on one thing:

People think the goal of meditation is to empty the mind. Its not about clearing the mind; its about focusing on one thing. When the mind wanders, the meditation isnt a failure. Our brain is like a wayward puppy, out of control. Catching it and putting it back to the object of focus is the mediation.

It can be as simple as focusing on your breath, which is my favourite technique for accessible meditation. Count one when you inhale, two when you exhale and keep going. As you breathe, your mind will wander and other thoughts will come rushing to you. The trick is to not let those thoughts fester; make a conscious effort to always go back and focus on your breathing.

Meditation has roots in ancient Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, but by no means does it require you to be religious. Even the Dalai Lama says you can be a believer or a non-believer and yet meditate. The New York Times says:

Though the concept originates in ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Chinese traditions, when it comes to experimental psychology, mindfulness is less about spirituality and more about concentration: the ability to quiet your mind, focus your attention on the present, and dismiss any distractions that come your way.

Like with any such ancient practice, religious elements can creep into meditation, like chanting the mantra Om. However, the word doesnt matter; the benefit lies in repeating any word, according Harvard physician Herbert Benson, who wrote about his studies on the matter in The Relaxation Response. Meditation guide Olivia Rosewood summarises his ideas:

Whats interesting about these studies is that they have found it doesnt matter what you repeat, whether it is Hail Marys, Sankrit mantras, or your mothers maiden name. It is the repetition for at least 20 minutes that leads to pronounced responses of peace in the body and mind.

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Five Common Myths About Meditation Debunked

Throughout my adult lifetime, myriad teachers, therapists and friends have agreed upon the same prescription for me: Explore the contemplative disciplines! Learn to meditate. Practice silence. Look within. Find a yoga class. Namaste! OHMMMMMMMmm

And, for decades, my response has been the same: That feels right. I think contemplative disciplines would be good for me.

And then I proceed not to undertake them.

Until last Sunday. Merely on the whim of a friends suggestion timed neatly on a Sunday afternoon devoid of Green Bay Packer football, I went to a meditation class. Like, whatever.

A few weeks earlier, I tried my hand at raku pottery, too. Whimsically random appears to suit me at midlife.

Meditation, for this western civilization wayfarer, is the perfect marriage of ridiculously simple and ridiculously difficult. Simple? Yes. Sit there. Close your eyes. Breathe slowly and deliberately, and notice that youre breathing. Voila! Youre meditating!

And, oh yeah, dont think anything.

Thats the hard part. The impossible part. Dont think. Dont feel. Clear your mind. Empty yourself. Blank slate.

The instructor rings the bell, sending me and my classmates into 30 minutes of meditation.

My eyes are closed. My feet are on the ground. My hands in my lap. Spine straight. I clear my mind. Im breathing, slowly and deliberately. Im noticing that Im breathing. I imagine I can see into my lungs, see my diaphragm like the bellows of a church organ, pumping up and down even as my grandmothers feet would push the pedals of her pump organ as she played. I remember how she

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Meditation ridiculously simple, difficult exercise

This is a general meditation format for going deeper within the framework of your faith tradition. Adapt as you feel comfortable.

Meditation Outline

1. Choose a place to sit where you will be undisturbed. This could be at home, in a house of worship, outdoors in a garden or park or the beach.

2. Fold your hands in your lap, or place your palms facing down or up on your thighs.

3. Close your eyes.

4. Take a deep inhalation and exhalation to begin. Then relax your breathing into a regular pattern, such as one count to inhale, and one count to exhale. Keep up this rhythmic pattern throughout your meditation without actually saying the counts verbally or mentally.

5. Say an opening prayer in your thoughts, something uplifting and inspiring to put you in a positive frame of mind.

6. Make your individual prayer request at this time, or request peace for all.

7. Slip into the period of quiet reflection on a specific topic you have in mind, or for world peace. After your meditation session write out new ideas that come to mind in a journal for later review.

8. To go deeper into the quiet, listen to the sound of your regular rhythmic breathing, drawing your attention back to it if your mind wanders. Sustain this period of meditation as long as possible and enjoy the deep peace it offers. This is the experience to take back into everyday living. And the more often you meditate and develop this peace, the more this state of being will become an automatic guide when problems or situations arise.

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Interfaith Meditation Outline

See Inside

Mariette DiChristina

Science is, as many observe, a truly collaborative enterprise. It is also one in which practitioners are unafraid to examine evidence and, if the facts point the way, revise previous notions, even if they have been widely held.

This issue's cover story, Mind of the Meditator, is such a case. The authors, Matthieu Ricard, Antoine Lutz and Richard J. Davidson, are, respectively, a Buddhist monk (originally trained as a cellular biologist) and two neuroscientists. The topic is the centuries-old practice of meditation, which has some role in nearly every religion and has been gaining attention in the secular world as a means of promoting well-being and calmness. As it turns out, meditation produces actual changes in the brain, as shown by brain scans and various techniques. People who meditate not only have a greater amount of brain tissue in some regions, but they also can withstand stress better and react faster to certain types of stimuli. Something (dare I say it?) to ponder.

Virus Therapy for Cancer, by Douglas J. Mahoney, David F. Stojdl and Gordon Laird, looks at a modern resurgence of an idea dating back to the early 20th century: the use of viruses to treat human cancers. These oncolytic viruses replicate extensively inside a tumor, creating an army of virus clones that attack more of the cancerous cells, alone or in combination with other treatments. They can also provoke the body's own immune system to help fight tumors.

While we are contemplating how we rearrange our inner worlds, scientists are also looking into shaping the objects around us. The Programmable World, by Thomas A. Campbell, Skylar Tibbits and Banning Garrett, explains how novel materials and 3-D printers could lead to items, such as houses or robots, that can self-assemble and change shape or function on command.

How much will rooftop solar reshape our notions about home energy? Noting the rise of solar panels, associate editor David Biello takes a sweeping look in his feature article, Solar Wars, at the issues that have arisen, from utilities' concerns about lost revenue to the need to make sure the right policy frameworks are in place to ensure a reliable electric grid as many homeowners migrate off it. As you will find, although there is a long way to go, if done right rooftop solar could help Americans become energy-independent.

This article was originally published with the title "Mindful, Medicinal, Malleable and Marketable."

2014 Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc.

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Meditation, Virus Therapy, Programmable Matter and Rooftop Solar

Turning from the psychological to the practical aspect, meditation for laypeople may be divided into two categories: that which is done intensively, and that which one practices while going about ones daily life. The meditation practiced intensively is also of two sorts: regular daily sitting, and occasional retreat practice.

Regular Daily Sitting

We shall first discuss the regular daily period of intensive sitting which should, where possible, be made every day at the same time. One should guard against its becoming a ritual by earnestness and by being intensely aware of why one had undertaken it. The following suggestions may be found helpful as well.

As to material considerations, the place for meditation should be fairly quiet. If one has a small room which can be used for this purpose, so much the better, and in any case, it is better to meditate alone, unless other members of the household also practice. Where this latter is the case one should make sure that ones mind is pure also in relation to others, for otherwise greed, hatred, and the rest of the robber gang are sure to steal away the fruits of meditation.

Quietness is best obtained by getting up early before others rise; and this is also the time when the mind is clear and the body untired. The sincere meditator therefore keeps regular hours, for he knows how much depends on having just enough sleep to feel refreshed.

After rising and washing one should sit down in clean loose clothing in the meditation place. One may have a small shrine with Buddhist symbols, but this is not essential. Some people find it useful to begin by making the offerings of flowers, incense, and light, carefully reflecting while doing so. It is very common in Buddhist countries to preface ones silent meditation by chanting softly to oneself, Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma-sambuddhassa, with the Refuges and Precepts. If one knows the Pali passages in praise of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, these may also be used at this time.

Another useful preliminary is a reflection, a discursive recitation, of some truths of the Dhamma, such as the passage suggested below:

Incomparable equanimity

Having this precious opportunity of human birth, I have two responsibilities in the Dhamma: the benefit of myself and the benefit of others. All other beings, whether they be human or non-human, visible or invisible, great or small, far or near, all these beings I shall treat with gentleness and wish that they may dwell in peace. May they be happy . . . May they be happy . . . May they be happy . . . ! I shall help them when they experience suffering, and be glad with them when they are happy. May I develop as well the incomparable equanimity, the mind in perfect balance that can never be upset!

In looking to the welfare of others, I shall not forget my own progress on the path of Dhamma. May I indeed come to know how, driven here and there by the winds of kamma, I have suffered an infinity of lives in all the realms of existence! I must also turn my mind to consider how short and fleeting is this life. How mind and body are ever changing, arising and declining from moment to moment. How neither mind nor body belongs to me, neither of them is mine.

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Practical advice for meditators

We all know that art is good for the mind, but is it also good for the body? As an art critic might say, it depends on how you look at it.

An upcoming program at the Phillips Collection Slow Moving and Mindful Viewing aims to guide visitors through some of the museums best-known works in a way that promotes wellness. The mantra: Think less, feel more.

The big objective, says Elizabeth Lakshmi Kanter, a yoga therapist who helped develop the program, is connecting people more intentionally with the restorative power of art. The hope is that visitors will not only feel more relaxed and in the moment when looking at the art, but also be able to take that centered, peaceful feeling into the rest of their day.

The program, which will debut in a one-time live event Oct. 23 before becoming available to the general public in November, is grounded in mindful meditation and yoga practices asking viewers to turn inward (even close their eyes), relax their muscles and pay attention to their bodies, especially to their breathing. But unlike a program at the Sackler Gallery last year, this one does not involve doing any actual yoga.

After its live premiere when Kanter will lead participants through selected works the program will be a cellphone-guided audio tour, free with admission, much like the one you can get to learn about the history of Jacob Lawrences Migration Series or the works of modernist painter Arthur Dove. Except this time the voice-over is decidedly unconventional.

The narration, for example, that is planned to accompany Renoirs Luncheon of the Boating Party suggests that you feel yourself absorbed into the painting, as if you were stepping into it and asks you to smell scents of this setting, taste flavors of this event, feel this scenes air on your skin. But it doesnt tell you when it was painted or how it figured into the impressionist movement. (Much of that information can, of course, be found on the placard next to the painting.)

As with traditional yoga practice, the mindful viewing program focuses on breathing and its restorative power, says Kanter, who teaches at Yoga District in D.C. and Willow Street Yoga in Takoma Park. Even just slowing down the breath, noticing and deepening the breath, she says, can trigger your relax-and-renew response. When you can mindfully attune to your breath and start to influence it, you trigger deep changes in your body. So that immediately has an impact on how youfeel.

Proponents of mindfulness have long emphasized the power of breath in managing stress. Its like we mimic the relaxed state by breathing more slowly, says Klia Bassing, a mindfulness meditation instructor and founder of Visit Yourself at Work, a stress-reduction program based in the District. Its a state in which the body is more able to heal. That shift, she says, can stay with you beyond the immediate experience, such as contemplating a work of art. A body at rest will stay at rest, says Bassing. A body at nervousness will stay at nervousness. (Does using a cellphone as a medium for mindfulness disrupt the mindful moment? Not necessarily, says Bassing: Its still effective in bringing the body and mind into a state of present awareness.)

The Phillips is not the only museum to experiment with this kind of contemplative tour. The Frye Museum in Seattle, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and Dartmouth Colleges Hood Museum in Hanover, N.H., have hosted similar meditative art events. But Kanter says the Phillipss program was inspired less by programs like those than by her own response to the works at the museum, where she had previously taught yoga to staff as part of a corporate wellness program.

In a recent preview of the Phillips program, Ryan Nearman, a 27-year-old architect from San Francisco, said Kanters words offered a welcome new perspective on Mark Rothkos works. It was good to slow down and kind of take in the paintings more than I normally would, said Nearman, who does not practice yoga.

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At the Phillips Collection, viewing art through mindful meditation