Even though meditation is not strictly an intellectual exercise, the fact that our mind can understand the process of this technique and its effects from a scientific point of view and believe in its value, is very important to the regular application of this practice.
There are hundreds of meditation techniques all over the world like Visual Meditation, Sound Meditation, Energy Meditation, Sensory Meditation, Buddhist Meditation, Mantra Meditation, Chanting Meditation and Body-Mind Meditation.
At the Chopra Center, We practice and recommend the Mantra technique as a first choice.
The first reason for this is that globally-recognized and respected scientific Institutions have carried out clinical research to study how meditation affects brain neuroplasticity, and the only form of meditation that has been proven to have an impact so far is the mantra technique. This research, which was carried out in Institutions like Harvard Medical School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University, has revealed the changes that occur in the brain as a result of Mantra meditation.
We do not practice meditation to only relax and develop the ability to regulate stress. Meditation allows us to reach a higher states of consciousness and awareness, and thus lets us lead a life that is happier, more peaceful, more satisfied and focused on fulfilling our greater purpose.
The other reason we recommend mantra meditation is that anyone who can think can practice mantra meditation. It does not require special abilities like being very focused or an innate ability to concentrate. It is easy to perform and very effective.
The third and most important reason is that when you silently repeat your mantra in meditation, it creates a vibration that helps you slip into the space between your thoughts, into the complete silence that is referred to as "the gap." Your mind is no longer caught up in its noisy internal chatter and is instead exposed to its own deepest nature: pure awareness.
By these reasons, the easiest and simplest way to set a correct path in meditation is to begin with the mantra meditation techniques.