Meditation is a practice that is utilized by many cultures and has been since around 1500 BCE. Meditating helps to reduce stress and make a person more self-aware. The practice of meditation involves a person settling in a quiet space, closing their eyes, and every time their brain starts to wander, they have to center it. When a person centers their mind, they are learning what that “nothing” feels like in-between when their brain wanders, and when they bring it back.

That blank space that is between thoughts, or "nothing" is what a cleared mind feels like. As a college student who has begun practicing meditation, I have found that it has helped to reduce the amount of stress I experience. When I am confronted with a stressful situation, I am more capable of handling it because meditation helps me be more self-aware of my emotions and the way I think.

Counting meditation.

The first meditation technique I have learned is the counting meditation. You want to start by finding a comfortable space, sitting with your back straight, crossing your legs and closing your eyes. Focus on how it feels and the moment when you are transitioning into a meditative state. Also, focus on how it feels when your body is relaxing; you want to center yourself on the quiet.

Start off by counting from one to 10 at a moderately slow pace, then restart every time you get to 10. You don’t want to focus on the counting, but that nothingness of in-between the numbers when you count. To make it easier you can incorporate your breathing into the meditation by counting as you inhale and exhale. For example, you would inhale in as you count one and exhale as you count two.

Breathing meditation.

The second technique I have learned is the breathing meditation. Get into the same mediation position as before. You want to focus on the sensation of your body relaxing and how it feels to inhale and exhale. Every time you start to think of something or get distracted, you want to imagine you are breathing that thought out as you exhale and bring your focus back to the sensation of breathing.

Once you find a rhythm and timing of breathing that you are comfortable with, try to continue it for as long as you can. Continue for as long as you need to until you are breathing evenly and calming. Being able to maintain your breathing is also proven to help calm you down and lower your blood pressure. Calming down after a stressful experience will make it easier for you to focus and make rational decisions.

Mindfulness meditation.

The third and final technique I learned is the mindfulness meditation, which is slightly more difficult. Return to the same meditation position; clear your mind, and this time you want to start by focusing on one body part, such as your hand or foot, and really experience the function that it provides. You want to be mindful and aware of what it can do for you and appreciate it.

After you finish with one body part, move on to different parts of the body. While you are doing this, the distracting thoughts that appear in your head should be acknowledged and accepted, but let go as soon as you become aware they are there to prevent from ruminating on them.