THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

To meditate it is not necessary to sit cross legged on the floor. Sitting upright on a straight backed chair with both feet on the floor is just as good. There are many methods of meditating some of which are:
Concentrating on the breath and counting the out breaths, in cycles of four. Repeating a mantra, (which is a word or phrase said in the mind, something like love or peace or a word or phrase that has a spiritual meaning for you), staring at a candle flame(tratak) and then closing your eyes, focusing on a mandala, using prayer beads and even walking meditation (whereby you count your steps or a repeat phrases such as "walking", "lifting" and "treading" as you walk slowly and purposefully). I used to go and practice meditation with Buddhist Monks and this was one of the nicest forms of meditation that they taught us to use in their beautiful grounds.
Whichever method you choose as you enter the meditative state your mind will begin to wonder. When this happens just bring it back to the focus you have chosen to use, counting the breaths or your mantra etc and eventually you will find that the thoughts disappear. The Buddhist Monks told us just to acknowledge the unwanted thoughts and then let them go, don't dwell on them.
It's best to try a few methods and see which one works best for you. Meditation brings the brainwave pattern into an alpha state that promotes healing, anxiety decreases, emotional stability improves, creativity increases, happiness increases, intuition increases and you are begin to gain clarity and peace of mind.
A regular practice of 15-20 minutes once or twice a day will bring results and if you have a designated time and space in which to meditate you will find it easier to discipline yourself to start and enter the meditative state.