The origins of meditation can be traced back to India, but no one really knows just how old the practice really is. The oldest documented reference to meditation is about 1500 BCE in India, known as Dhyana or Jhana referenced as the training of the mind. The word meditation comes from the Latin term meditatum meaning "to ponder" (1). The are many different techniques and practices for meditation, some more popular and others lesser known.
Meditation produces an inner and outer stillness that improves with each practice which cultivates inner peace, clarity, mindfulness, self-awareness and compassion. A national Demonstration project that took place in 1993, by a large group of 4,000 advanced meditators lasting for two months, focused on daily meditation that resulted in reduced crime in the region by 24 percent. The phenomena that occured is called the Maharishi Effect (2).
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