> [!infobox] <s class="aside-in"><em>mentioned in 2 topics, 9 evergreens, 4 sources</em></s> #### [[Meditation is a practice to gain control over your thoughts]] When [[Western philosophy|western]] researcher's started studying the science behind [[meditation]] and [[Yoga]] they tried to distill these practices into one thing: [[mindfulness]] ^[[[notes - History of Meditation]]] There are many different styles of [[Yoga]], but at the core of all of the them is [[understanding]] and controlling your [[mind]] so that we can better live in the current moment. ^[[[Living in the present moment is valuable]]] [[Consciousness is our capacity to introspect]] and [[Meditation is a practice to develop a stronger consciousness]], so it follows that [[meditation]] will help you gain control over your thoughts in a variety of different ways. In [[Vedic Psychology]], the [[mind]] is divided into five layers, and understanding how these layers work together was key for how the [[Yogi|Yogis]] developed and refined [[meditation]]. ^[[[The history of meditation is a mixture of science and spirituality]]] These five layers of the [[brain]] interact to create [[consciousness]]. This allows us to process information from our [[Indriya|sensory organs]] and [[unconscious]], and to observe the intellectual [[mind]] and [[ego]]. Because [[Mental health is a reaction to one's environment]], a practice that improves our awareness of our internal environment is going to be very impactful. ^[One such example is [[Meditation helps us gain awareness through detachment]] but all [[meditation]] helps this in some way.] Modern science has shown that these ancient practices have very powerful [[Neuroscience|neurological]] mechanisms in the [[brain]], and the [[meditation]] can have powerful impacts on our [[mental health]]. ^[[[notes - Science of Meditation]]] Gaining control over your thoughts does not merely lie in the [[brain]] as there are many [[physiology|physiological]] mechanisms that impact this. [[Meditation improves mental, physical, and emotional health]], but [[Yoga]] combines [[meditation]] with [[discipline]] and practices that are enhanced and can enhance [[meditation]]: [[Yoga is a wholistic philosophy of self-improvement]] ### <hr class="footnote"/> **Status**:: #EVER/GREEN *edited January 23, 2022* **Topics**:: [[meditation]], [[mindfulness]], [[human experience]]