The landscape of current meditation research: An overview to the special issue on ‘Health Benefits of Meditation’

The word “meditation” has its Latin root in meditari, which means “to contemplate, ponder, or reflect”. In modern-day terminology, meditation is often used to refer to a broad range of self-directed mind-body practices that typically involve complex emotional and attentional regulation to achieve calmness of the mind and relaxation of the body. These practices include mindfulness meditation, Transcendental meditation, Zen meditation, Vipassana, Loving-kindness meditation, Yoga, Qigong, and Tai Chi, to name a few. Many of them originate from Eastern philosophies and cultures. Yoga, for example, is an Indian contemplative tradition for achieving physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual harmony that has been practised for almost 5000 years [1]. In many cultures, meditation is also practised to promote healing forces within the mind and body [2]. Most notable is Qigong which incorporates various exercises such as postures, movements, sounds, breathing techniques, and sitting meditation, to mobilise the body’s vital energy or Qi for self-healing.