For the Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard meditating “essentially allows you to get to know yourself better and to cultivate an optimal way of being, focused on happiness and altruism”. Meditation is also “Avoid becoming a slave to the flood of negative thoughts that flood the mind”.

Because, indeed, many of our thoughts are superfluous, even downright harmful: we rehash, we set up catastrophic scenarios, we worry … These thoughts poison our minds and distance us from ourselves. They create stress which, in turn, creates its share of problems.

Meditating is not about fighting these thoughts, but rather to let go: it is about accepting them with kindness, without being captivated by them.

There are many meditation techniques : Vipassana meditation, transcendental meditation, active Osho meditations, tantric meditations, etc.

La Mindfulness meditation can be seen as the “basis” of all forms of meditation: simply being there, in the present moment, without judgment and welcoming any thoughts, feelings and emotions that come. It allows you to be in full awareness of yourself and others, at every moment of your existence.

Meditation can be practiced standing, sitting, walking, eyes open or closed, silently or repeating a word, the mind focused on an image, on its breathing.

Read also: Some tips to get started in meditation