Meditation is a term that’s used to describe a whole range of methods used to transform our everyday awareness. The goal is to help us learn more about our true nature and in the process we bring more stillness and harmony into our lives. When we feel this harmony, we’re less likely to suffer from pressure or panic. So meditation can help us deal with our stress and anxiety.

And while the tranquility meditation offers us is a powerful tool, it is also a tool that goes widely un-used. That’s because a lot of people are intimidated by meditation. They think it takes years of “monastery training.” Or they think you need to have a natural talent for it. But that’s not true of meditation at all.

Meditation is actually a simple art to learn. To practice it you only need some time and a relatively quiet space. It requires nothing else really except your presence and attention. And after only one or two sessions, you can actually begin to experience its calming benefits.

Now, to begin the learning process, I suggest some type of group class. It’s great to have an instructor to lead you when you’re just starting out. And it’s great to have some other classmates to share the experience with. The YWCA or the YMCA are great places to look for your first class. You can also try your local community college or night schools.

And don’t forget your library. You’ll find many titles about meditation at any well-stocked library. Books have the advantage of giving you great depth on the subject and they can also get you going rather fast. But their disadvantage is that they can only guide you so far and they can’t help you make corrections or changes.

Another way to get started meditating is to begin with a CD or DVD. They can actually get you started even faster than a book. You basically jump right into a session with most. Plus they give you more of a total experience because you get more of a feel for meditating right away. Also, you can’t beat the portability of an audio CD. You can take it on business trips, vacations, or anywhere you want to go to meditate.

When starting out with meditation, you typically learn one or more breathing meditations first. They’re relatively simple to do and they get you actually meditating fast. If you stick with it, you can move into more advanced meditations and you can stay in the meditative state for longer periods. How far you take it is really up to you. But you will feel the calming effects of meditation from your very first session.

Meditation has been practiced for a very long time. There are many different approaches and many different versions. And there’s sure to be more than one method or technique that will work for you. You’ll have to dedicate some time to it and actually give it a try to get any results though. But your time will be rewarded because even the simplest meditation practice can deliver some real anxiety relief.