The Importance of Meditation

[Jade]

I am beginning to see meditation as a sort of mental exercise.  Where the body is naturally not constantly active and thus requires motion to exercise, the mind is ALWAYS active, and so exercise for it comes in the form of stilling that activity and maintaining stillness.

Silence is ambient stillness to me~

Yes, it's like how Ra says trees use movement for their meditation, since they are in a constant state of stillness, they need the balance.

I see it as exercise, too. I've used the analogy for myself for a marathon, too. When you start running, it's impossible to get more than a block without feeling winded and miserable, so most people don't take up running. But with practice and dedication, running becomes much easier, and actually helps people reach altered states of consciousness (extreme workouts release natural cannabanoids into the system). If you slow down your normal exercise routine and start running less, your body begins to lose its elasticity and eventually all that you have gained is lost.