Meditation means a lot of different things, but at its heart is a quieting of the mind, which can boost your focus and general health. Audio Dharma offers six free recorded classes that introduce concepts and help you through some early sits.
Photo by Theresa in MS.
Instructor Gil Fronsdal is a former Buddhist monk, but his meditation courses are taught as a secular introduction to the posture, breathing, and thinking (or lack thereof) that gets your mind and body into a relaxed state. The first recording, in particular, has Fronsdal and his class sitting through a brief 10-minute meditation, followed by questions from the audience that you'll probably have, too. All six classes are available as free MP3 downloads or for streaming.
For another take on a restful mind exercise, check out Ryan Irelan's previous guest post on using blue energy to quiet your mind before bed, and stop by Discovery Health's articles offering a similar introduction to meditation. Found a good meditation resource of your own? Share it in the comments.