According to Deepak Chopra, a well-known North American physician and writer of Indian origin, one very effective technique for handling the tensions of contemporary life while improving the way one’s organism functions, which can lead to a long healthy life, is meditation. 

The physiological state of those who practice meditation undergoes definitive changes toward a better way of functioning. Hundreds of findings show a reduction in breathing, less consumption of oxygen, and a reduced metabolic rate. In terms of aging, the most significant conclusion is that hormonal imbalance associated with stress – which is known to accelerate aging – is reversed. This, in turn, slows and even reverses the aging process… My experience with studies conducted with persons who practice Transcendental Meditation makes it clear that persons who have practiced meditation for a good number of years can have a biological age of five to twelve years less than their chronological age.

An important finding related to meditation is that the levels of cortisol and adrenaline in people who practice meditation are often lower. These are hormones generated in large quantities during stressful periods. If they stay in our bodies for prolonged periods, they can cause damage in numerous ways. Also, mechanisms for managing stress tend to be better in meditators. Meditation, contrary to what the popular use of the word suggests, does not mean focusing attention on an issue or problem to find a solution. Meditation is a mental exercise or technique intended to turn off conscious thinking in order to be able to perceive more subtle sources of information (that is, deeper levels of the mind). There are different ways of meditating to obtain the benefits that this practice brings:

1. One should find a tranquil setting away from distractions, to the extent possible. 

2. One should be in a formal but comfortable position. One often used pose is sitting with the back straight. This is a position that helps us to stay relaxed but alert.

3. We should have an object on which to focus our attention. This can be a picture or a word or phrase that we repeat constantly, whether mentally or out loud. The object on which we focus our attention can also be an action or our own breathing. 

4. We must adopt a passive, receptive attitude. Forcing ourselves to concentrate is counterproductive. During our meditation sessions, surely all kinds of strange thoughts that can distract us from our purpose will emerge. Instead of actively struggling to repress those thoughts, it is better simply to notice that they are there and gently let them go without involving ourselves in them, while we tranquilly return to the focus of our attention. 

Lawrence LeShan, a psychotherapist who has dedicated a significant part of his career to studying meditation, indicates that there are four paths toward meditation. In the western hemisphere, we are more familiar with two of these paths: the intellectual path, which is directed toward reaching different levels of consciousness, and the emotional path, on which meditation is focused on feelings of peace, love, or similar sentiments. 

Another path followed extensively in the eastern hemisphere, which is only recently becoming more widely known in the west is that of the body. This path is different because practitioners become totally involved in a series of corporal movements. This is the case in disciplines such as Hatha Yoga and T'ai Chi.

The fourth path is that of action. This path applies the principles of meditation to learning a skill or to the act of performing a task or ritual. Japanese tea ceremonies are an example of this. Zen Buddhist masters use this path to teach skills such as archery or flower arranging techniques. 

In the case of meditation, it is not only important to read about techniques, but also to practice them under the supervision of a competent master. 

Information obtained from the following website:
http://www.saludparati.com/meditacion1.htm