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Eastern traditions like Buddhism and Hinduism may lay more emphasis on meditation, but it is not entirely absent or unknown in the Christian tradition. It is only that Christians have viewed meditation more as a form of contemplative prayer - a time to be still...and know God. In such a view, the spirituality underlying all world religions seems to be showing its true nature. For what is meditation if not the stilling of the mind so that it can perceive the larger, looming nature of reality, above the petty and fragmented pieces of our routine existence?

The Bible may not explicitly mention 'meditation' in too many places, but if you want to evolve your own personal meditation as a Christian, find some very useful suggestions and methods that could put you on the path to contemplation. In fact, Christian meditation is very real to those who practise it, even when, like John Main, they have been introduced to it by a guru from another religion.

Finally, while orthodox traditions may underline the rosary and prayer, and humility rather than the clear-eyed contemplation that meditation represents, meditation by itself is such an intensely personal spiritual activity that practitioners of all hues are likely to pursue it in every age. Besides, the boundaries of prayer and meditation do merge for the most sincere meditators. The corner marked for prayer in a devout household may well become a place for meditation. 

Meditation undoubtedly found its most exalted expression in Buddhism. This is because Buddha's experience of enlightenment was directly achieved by meditation, and the techniques he practised have been handed down in various forms down three millennia. What did the Buddha see when he meditated for years? On the basis of sheer imagination, we can assume he saw reality reduced to the power of ten, that is atomic particles, as well as reality raised to the power of ten, meaning the mysteries of space. Deep meditation has the power to produce the whole universe within the confines of our human body!

However, to reach this level its necessary to begin with the first few breaths! And, with meditation, its better to start off with total humility, not have soaring ambitions of how much one will achieve, and stay humble. Aching muscles, screaming thoughts, and a strong need to get up and run may well be the way our body and mind first responds to the attempt to sit still. Learn the basics of Buddhist meditation before you begin your own foray into creative sitting. What is wonderful about Buddha's method is that it emphasizes loving kindness, the feeling of 'metta' for the entire world and all humanity.  Each time you are sitting on your meditation cushion to sit still, you are actually doing your bit to heal the world.

Few of us can be complete strangers to meditation. At some time, each of us would have tried to achieve those few moments of peace, with eyes closed, or open, seated, or standing. Any attempt to either focus the mind completely, or relax it and blank out conflicting thoughts can be classified as meditation, and while Hindu and Buddhist methods are most commonly associated with meditation, it has a place in virtually every form of spiritual or religious practice. 

What makes meditation so important in present day living is that it can restore one to calmer thinking, lowered levels of stress, improved memory and other health benefits even with moderate amounts of daily practice. The efficacy of meditation in one's health, happiness and spiritual growth is considerably enhanced when one has learnt it from good teachers and in a suitably sustaining environment. Take the opportunity for a closer acquaintance with this valuable effort of mindfulness - the only way guaranteed to deliver eventual enlightenment.

Is it really surprising that the humongous work by which the French writer Marcel Proust is most remembered, 'Remembrance of Things Past', (now called In Search of Lost Time) begins with a memory triggered by an olfactory stimulus? What begins with the nose goes on to seven volumes, and led to Proust being called the 'greatest novelist of the 20th century' by Graham Greene.

To most of us, the frangrance associated with a particular memory brings much of the original sensation come flooding back, whether it's grandmother's pecan pie we are re-experiencing, or the cologne worn by our first crush in high school. There are other, more universal scents that can be enjoyed by nearly everybody, like the smell of parched earth after a shower, or buttered popcorn. Its because the scent of things is so important in our experience of reality that we lose our enjoyment of food when we have a bad cold that temporarily takes away our sense of smell. Food doesn't taste the same when it doesn't smell the same. 

Aromatherapy relies on just this powerful connection between our brain and the olfactory nerve hidden in our noses. Using 40 essential oils derived from vegetables, fruits, flowers and other organic sources, this method of healing helps to balance feelings, restore a sense of well-being, and strengthen the body's immune system.

How aromatherapy works to nurture and revive the spirit, and bring us to a state of emotional well-being has been the subject of study, but more than research or analysis, it can be best understood by direct experience.

After all, even if you have never tried aromatherapy before, you will probably vouch for the wonderful feeling of a warm bath in which you soaked for close to an hour in wonderful smelling bath salts. In fact, a lot of aromatherapy is through tactile applications of healing 'essential oils' in the medium of 'carrier oils' directly on the skin. While the pure aromas of essential oils are also inhaled through nebulizers, or diffused in a room over a flame, or smelt through handkerchiefs, the touch of oil on skin has its own potency.

Find out more about how to make aromatherapy work for you and what oils to buy for your own route to relaxation and relief from stress.

In fact, after discovering the benefits of aromatherapy, you may just develop a little more respect for all the scents that surround you - and the moods they seem to bring on.

Getmotivation.com has a page dedicated to leading motivational and leadership speaker Robin Sharma. In response to a question on what advice he (Robin Sharma) would give people wanting to lead a more inspired life, Robin says:

There are four “jewels” to a great life that need to be applied every day: First, get up early. Second, meditate and visualize. Third, read inspirational books for 30 minutes. Fourth, exercise. These four life rituals will transform the way you live and lead you to everything else you need to know, have and be. Trust me on this one.

Best known for his best-selling book, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, Robin has many secrets for success up his sleeve. Robin’s own site lists his many audio, video and other resources for people needing a little boost to get where they want in life.

Read these quotes by Robin Sharma until you get a chance to browse through his writing:

The smallest of actions is always better than the noblest of intentions.

The place where your greatest fears live is also the place where your greatest growth lies.

Awareness precedes choice which precedes results.

Very often, we consume meat by habit, without having thought of the fact that it involves the taking of life, often in a very brutal manner. When we eat a plant, there are two things to consider.

The first is that we often do not uproot the plant in its entirety, we pick only a part of it – say its leaves (think of spinach). What happens next? It grows again. It doesn’t die. Likewise, when we pick fruit, we do not destroy the tree.

The second factor is that plants are understood to have a lower level of consciousness than animals, humans being at the tip of the pyramid of life forms.

We do have to eat to survive, but choosing food that causes as little harm or pain as possible does not burden our soul thus enabling it to easily connect with the one consciousness (read meditate and feel harmony within and without).

Some wise persons explain that fruit is meant to be eaten by man. The fragrance and visual appeal of ripe fruit attracts our attention. Our picking fruit and eating it and simultaneously throwing away its seed serves to disperse it over a wider area.

If we were not to pluck the fruit, it would fall and rot. Its seed, lying in the shade of its own creator (tree), would die.

Leo Tolstoy, another vegetarian’s words are apt for inclusion at this point, “As long as there are slaughterhouses there will be battlefields. A vegetarian diet is the acid test of humanitarianism.”