I want to understand if meditation is scientific. Also, can meditation work for a person like me who can’t turn off their brain?
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It’s scientific in the sense that it’s use and benefits have been wildly studied, and the results are traditionally positive or at the very least inconclusive. (Put another way, there’s no negative drawbacks to trying it.) It’s not scientific in the sense where a doctor is going to “prescribe it” with a guaranteed list of results, or any meditation book or tape can give you an exact list of it’s benefits or even the “right” way to do it.
If you’re curious about trying it, here’s some advice from someone who’s been practicing for over 20 years. Try a little bit of everything, and find the technique that *works for you*. These days it’s easier than ever to access methods. The thing I’ve learned is that it’s like working out, no one specific plan is going to work for everyone. Don’t feel like you “need” that special music, to sit in that specific pose, say those exact phrases, etc.
For example, I find it impossible to sit in the cross legged pose a lot of techniques suggest, so I either lay comfortably on my back or a chair. I start with a few minutes of breath in for 5, hold for 5, exhale for five. Then I move on to repeating a “mantra” in my head. From there, depending on what I’m trying to do (relax, go to sleep, destress) I either count/focus on my breathing, “accept” the thoughts in my head before going back to focus, do a “system check” of my body from the feet up, and so on and so on.
Think of meditation as basically running yourself in “safe mode”; all the vital stuff like your brain, heart, and lungs are operating, but you’re not expending thought or energy with movement, making choices, dealing with people or situations; you’re free to simply “read” the thoughts in your head as an observer without pressure or judgement.
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