Meditation
<p ><b>Meditation</b> is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minds" title="Minds" class="mw-redirect" >minds</a> or self-induce a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness#States_of_consciousness" title="Consciousness" >mode of consciousness</a> to realize some benefit.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#cite_note-0" >[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#cite_note-1" >[2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-dozensgs_2-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#cite_note-dozensgs-2" >[3]</a></sup></p>
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Meditation is generally an inwardly oriented, personal practice, which individuals do by themselves. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_beads" title="Prayer beads" >Prayer beads</a> or other ritual objects are commonly used during meditation. Meditation may involve invoking or cultivating a feeling or internal state, such as <i>compassion</i>, or <i>attending to a specific focal point</i>. The term can refer to the state itself, as well as to practices or techniques employed to cultivate the state.<sup id="cite_ref-feurstein06_3-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#cite_note-feurstein06-3" >[4]</a></sup></p>
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There are dozens of specific styles of meditation practice;<sup id="cite_ref-dozensgs_2-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#cite_note-dozensgs-2" >[3]</a></sup> the word <i>meditation </i>may carry different meanings in different contexts. Meditation has been practiced since antiquity as a component of numerous religious traditions and beliefs.
A 2007 study by the U.S. government found that nearly 9.4% of U.S. adults (over 20 million) had practiced meditation within the past 12 months, up from 7.6% (more than 15 million people) in 2002.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#cite_note-4" >[5]</a></sup></p>
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Since the 1960s, meditation has been the focus of increasing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_on_meditation" title="Research on meditation" >scientific research</a> of uneven rigor and quality.<sup id="cite_ref-ospinaetal2007_5-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#cite_note-ospinaetal2007-5" >[6]</a></sup> In over 1,000 published research studies, various methods of meditation have been linked to changes in metabolism, blood pressure, brain activation, and other bodily processes.<sup id="cite_ref-newberg03_6-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#cite_note-newberg03-6" >[7]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-cahn06_7-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#cite_note-cahn06-7" >[8]</a></sup> Meditation has been used in clinical settings as a method of stress and pain reduction.<sup id="cite_ref-George_S.Everly_pages_201-202_8-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#cite_note-George_S.Everly_pages_201-202-8" >[9]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation#cite_note-9" >[10]</a></sup></p>