How to Meditate and Why

With a rich history spanning centuries, meditation is a foundational practice in many religious and spiritual traditions across the globe. In modern society, it has also emerged as an invaluable self-care practice. Given its deep and diverse roots, meditation has been interpreted in many ways; defined by what it is, what it is not, and what it should be. At its core, meditation is a practice of deep self-reflection, intended to lighten the mind from excess mental weight.

In yogic philosophy, meditation is known as dhyana, the seventh of the eight limbs on the path of yoga. It follows pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) and dharana (concentration), forming a path to dhyana. And through dhyana, we find samadhi, when our sense of a separate self dissolves in the bliss of universal wholeness.

Beyond its spiritual roots, modern research continues to affirm the mental and physical benefits of meditation. It has been shown to reduce stress, support emotional balance, and improve overall well-being. As a self-care practice, meditation helps quiet the mind, conserve energy, and ease the strain on the heart, breath, and body.

How Pratyahara Leads to Dharana, Which Leads to Dhyana 

Meditation isn’t about clearing the mind of all thoughts, nor is it a form of mind control or passive detachment. Rather, it is a path toward connecting with your most blissful, conscious, and pure self. Like any meaningful practice, it requires dedication and consistency to build the mental strength and endurance it demands.

Before the mind can enter a meditative state, it must first pass through pratyahara, which will hopefully lead to dharana. Pratyahara is when the mind withdraws from the senses of our physical body and turns inward, into the subtle layers of our internal self. 

Our breath is a good starting point for pratyahara; focusing attention on the sensations of inhalation and exhalation, the feeling of air moving in and out of the body. As awareness deepens, the breath becomes a bridge to the inner layers of the subtle body, releasing invisible weight and grounding us in the present moment. 

As we sustain this inward focus, the world around us fades into the background and our awareness settles on a single point; perhaps the rhythm of the breath, a mantra, or an inner sensation. This is dharana, the state of deep concentration.

Dharana can be described as “the observation of a single object, spot, or place—within or outside the body, in the mind.”(1) We observe with unattachment, but doesn’t mean we are indifferent. Rather, it means we observe without judgment or comparison, without assigning positive or negative values.

Concentration doesn’t need to be intense. Instead, the inner gaze should be gentle and steady. With continued practice, this focused awareness strengthens and becomes unwavering. When this effortless flow of attention is sustained, we begin to move into dhyana, the meditative state.

The Path to Meditation is Through the Koshas  

Originating from the Vedas, meditation is grounded in the ancient understanding that human beings are composed of three bodies: the gross (physical), the subtle, and the causal (bliss) body. The ultimate purpose of meditation is to connect with the bliss body, the deepest, innermost aspect of the self that is united with the universe. This is the realm of pure love, lightness, and consciousness. Suffering (duhkha) doesn’t exist in the bliss body, only light (suhka).

To access the bliss body, we have to move through the physical and subtle bodies. These three bodies encompass the five koshas, the layers of our existence; this is referred to as the pancha kosha system.

The physical body houses the physical layer, or the annamaya kosha. This is our actual physical body where we experience the world first hand. The next body is the subtle body and it houses three layers: the pranamaya, manomaya, and vijnanamaya koshas. They are the energetic or breath layer, the mind layer, and the wisdom layer, respectively. 

The breath layer is where the prana flows along the nadis and spins the chakras. The mind layer is where the gunas, chitti vritti, kleshas, and samskaras crash and meld into each other. The wisdom or intellectual layer is where we analyze, sort, judge, and make decisions. It is here where we work through the mental layer to uncover untruths, discover right knowledge, and find clarity. 

The final and innermost kosha, the anandamaya, is the bliss layer that is housed in the bliss body. To get here, we have to internally travel through the awareness of our physical body and space, connect our breath to our mind and body, and then use our breath to support us as we work to calm the mental noise.

As the experience deepens, the mind progressively lets go of each inner layer until it arrives in pure bliss, where the individual self merges with the universal self. The more we connect with this blissful state through meditation, the stronger and more accessible that connection becomes.(7)

What Meditation Is and Isn’t 

Of all the limbs on the yogic path, meditation is one of the more challenging. It demands consistent practice, discipline, and mental endurance. Meditation requires us to withdraw from identification with the physical self, enter a state of focused concentration that will eventually dissolve our inner layers. And we are doing this as we travel through our three bodies and all their koshas, to the center of our entire being. Adding to the challenge are varying descriptions and interpretations of what meditation is and is not. 

There are a multitude of practices and techniques that fall under the modern idea of meditation. Guided meditation practices like loving-kindness or body scan meditation are wonderful avenues to explore looking inward in a gentle, self-affirming way. Movement-based practices like yoga asana, tai chi, or walking meditation also serve as bridges, using breath and rhythm to connect the body and mind.

Other popular practices include breath work, sound baths, and listening to soothing sounds like ocean waves or birdsong. While often marketed as meditative experiences, these are more accurately described as practices of pratyahara, setting the stage for dharana. 

Concentration techniques such as candle-gazing or mantra chanting are also frequently referred to as meditation. However, these more accurately describe the experience of dharana, focused awareness on a single point. Exploring different ways of engaging the senses, like sight, sound, or smell, develops the mind muscles for pratyahara and dharana states. 

Having an awareness of not only your physical layer but also your subtle layers is key for meditation. Pratyahara and dharana cultivate a person’s sense of mindfulness, leading them to be more present in their life and more aware of how their actions affect others. While mindfulness and meditation are often discussed interchangeably, they are distinct.

Mindfulness is the active awareness of your thoughts, behaviors, and subtle energies while remaining fully present in your physical body. Meditation, on the other hand, is when the awareness transcends the physical body, going into the subtle layers to reach the still, luminous consciousness of the bliss body.

Regular Meditation Supports the Physical Self

In yogic science, meditation is a full-body experience, engaging everything from the physical to the deepest layers of the inner self. Its purpose is to bring calm and clarity to the mental and wisdom layers and modern science affirms this ancient understanding. Research has shown that meditation improves neuroplasticity, reduces mind-wandering, supports restful sleep, and increases our capacity for compassion.(4)

In September 2017, the American Heart Association released a statement on meditation’s role in heart health. In a report published in their own journal, the AHA reviewed hundreds of studies and concluded there is strong evidence supporting meditation’s cardiovascular benefits. They recommended it as a tool for reducing heart disease risk, citing its low cost and minimal risk. However, they noted that further research is needed to confirm its clinical applications.(6)

Similarly, the medical journal Cureus published a 2023 literature review examining the impact of meditation on physical and mental health. The review found that meditation positively affects the immune system, supports heart health by lowering blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, and boosts HDL (the "good" cholesterol). The findings also linked regular meditation to improvements in conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and fibromyalgia.

On the mental health front, meditation was shown to help manage anxiety, stress, and depression. Despite these promising results, researchers emphasized the need for “more diverse and detailed studies” to better understand meditation’s full therapeutic potential.(5)

Among the studies highlighted was a 2020 MRI-based investigation into long-term meditation practitioners. Participants with a consistent meditation practice, including styles like Transcendental Meditation (TM), Zen, and loving-kindness, showed increased cortical thickness, greater amounts of grey matter, and other signs of enhanced brain function compared to non-practitioners. The study concluded that what mattered the most is the consistency of practice, not the specific style of meditation.(3)

The benefits of meditation accumulate over time, meaning the more regularly we practice, the greater the mental, emotional, and physical gains. Even though there is considerable effort required, meditation offers profound and lasting rewards for those who commit to the path.

Concluding Thoughts 

Meditation leads us toward our most blissful state. The path is not always easy and it requires consistent, intentional effort. Yet it can also be a deeply nourishing journey, one rooted in self-love, curiosity, and a sincere desire to connect with the truest part of ourselves. By cultivating mindfulness practices that gently withdraw the senses and lead to steady concentration, we prepare the mind to settle into deeper states of meditation.

With its rich and varied history, meditation offers countless ways to engage with the practice. While interpretations may differ about what meditation is or isn’t, at its core, it is a self-reflective process that brings harmony across all layers of our being, from the physical body to the subtle mind and ultimately to the blissful self. Whether one follows a specific tradition like Transcendental Meditation (TM) or experiments with a variety of styles, the type of meditation practiced is less important than the consistency of practice. What truly matters is showing up with dedication.

Bibliography

1 - Barrett, Hannah. Yoga Happy, 84-85, 88-89. Hardie Grant Quadrille, 2022. 

2 - Desikachar, T.K.V. The Heart of Yoga. Inner Traditions International, 1995.

3 - Ferreira Afonso, Rui, Inessa Kraft, Maria Adelia Aratanha, Elisa Harumi Kozasa. “Neural Correlates of Meditation: A Review of Structural and Functional MRI Studies.” Frontiers in Bioscience-Scholar 12, no. 1 (2020): 92-115.

4 - Hassed, Craig. “The Health Benefits of Meditation and Being Mindful.” Monash University.

5 - Jamil, Aneeque, Sai Dheeraj Gutlapalli, Marya Ali, Mrinal J. P. Oble, Shamsun Nahar Sonia, Sherie George, et al. “Meditation and Its Mental and Physical Health Benefits in 2023.” Cureus 15, no. 6 (2023).

6 - Levine, Glenn N., Richard A. Lange, C. Noel Bairey‐Merz, Richard J. Davidson, Kenneth Jamerson, Puja K. Mehta, et al. “Meditation and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.” Journal of the American Heart Association 6, no. 10 (2017).

7 - Sharma, Hari. “Meditation: Process and Effects.” Ayu 36, no. 3 (215): 233–237.

8 - The Art of Living. “What Meditation Is And Is Not: Benefits and How to Begin.”

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