For thousands of years, men from all walks of life have used meditation to better themselves. Many believe that meditation is only a religious tool, however, it is so much more. Some of history’s greatest philosophers and intelligent minds have also meditated to promote sharp and clear thinking, including Charles Darwin and Immanuel Kant.

Even today, mainstream professionals use meditation in the workplace, including corporate executives at worldwide firms like Google, Target, and General Mills. One of today’s most famed meditators is Phil Jackson, former coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson not only practices meditation in his personal life, but has also taught meditation techniques to players to help them stay calm and collected under pressure, as well as more focused during games.

Usually, meditation is picked up when an individual seeks to expand his spirituality, especially during difficult times. There are many reasons why men turn to meditation:

Meditation is a welcome break from day-to-day chaos. In our increasingly technological world, we’re surrounded by distractions, from email to smartphones. Meditation designates a special time of day to take a rest from the fast-paced world we live in. This break helps restore our sense of calm and well-being, and increases attention span and overall focus.

Meditation lets us get to know ourselves. Our modern world is also noisy, thrusting many different messages into daily life. From advertisers trying to convince us that buying their products will make us manlier to talking heads giving nonsense advice on television, it’s hard to know what to believe. Meditation gives us time each day to be alone with our thoughts, learning to be comfortable in our own skin.

Meditation has physical benefits, too. Scientists have learned that meditation can actually benefit our brains and bodies in concrete capacities, including lowering blood pressure, boosted memory, and a stronger sense of calm and compassion.

So where do you begin? You may be surprised at how simple it is to start. Meditation can be done almost anywhere. Fancy supplies or gadgets like pillows, incense, or bells certainly aren’t necessary, but feel free to splurge if it helps you. You may find that some of the best spiritual experiences can happen on the spot without tools, like at the gym or even in the car on a lunch break.

As the name implies, guided mediation is led by another individual, either in-person or from an audio source. You can also create your own session to make a complete “plan” for your meditation – Where will you go? Who will you talk to?

For example, in guided meditation you can talk with a deceased loved one to finish unsettled business, or even ask advice from your younger self. The possibilities are unlimited, as your imagination controls it all.

This common form of meditation is designed to be mindful of, well, your mind. It’s meant to relax a restless mind that constantly multitasks and shifts through thoughts all day. In mindfulness meditation, direct your mind to an “anchor” – a thought or sound that you focus on.

Usually meditation is a way to give your mind a break, but active meditation involves a physical activity to allow your body and mind to get in sync. Some practice this form of meditation often without realizing it – such as experiencing a “runner’s high.” Active meditation can be as simple as practicing yoga (not just for the ladies!) or taking a walk. Use a physical activity as your “anchor” and focus to complete your meditation.

You may already be familiar with this type of meditation, as it’s been made cliché by movies and books! Affirmation meditation involves repeating a mantra over and over – a common mantra to use is “om.” Your mantra can be a simple, one-word repetition, or even a phrase. The repetition of the mantra acts as your “anchor” and helps clear the mind for spiritual progression to take place.

Pick a topic to focus on, like love or anger, and allow your mind to run with it. For example, it’s often helpful to pick a negative topic like hate. See what images pop up when you think of a word – you might be surprised. Sometimes it helps to explore why these images appear with the corresponding topic, and then use this knowledge to release those negative emotions.

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Meditation is a helpful tool for relaxing the mind and focusing concentration. Many legendary men have used meditation to their

advantage, including historical figures like Charles Darwin, and even today’s executives at Google.