Meditation is a mind body practice that has long been used to help produce a sense of calm and relaxation. Meditation may help patients cope with illness and enhance overall health and well-being. The practice of meditation involves finding quiet time and place free from distraction. You will need to sit comfortably. In the beginning of your practice, you learn to relax your body, concentrate on your breath and quiet your mind. Quieting your mind is the challenge. The challenge during meditation is not to be caught in the mind's wandering, and not to judge your thoughts.

Mindfulness is the ability to bring present moment awareness into all the activities of daily living, while experiencing these same benefits. Cultivating a regular practice of meditation may bring you to a new level of mindfulness in everyday life. Mindful awareness helps us to understand the mind and its relationship to the body and spirit. Paying attention to everyday experiences like eating, or walking, or being in nature can provide us with great joy and satisfaction, if we can learn to practice this skill in a moment-to-moment way.

Benefits of meditation include:

• Improved sleep, memory, and cognitive function

• Increased sense of well-being and enhanced immune function

• Decreased stress, anxiety, and depression