Michael Stone, writing for Neurotic Buddha:
Meditation, specifically Vipassana, simply invites us to carve out a period of time to sit with ourselves and non-judgmentally observe conditions arising in consciousness. Looked at from this perspective, meditation is actually quite different than almost everything else we do. We aren’t observing for the purpose of getting results, we are just developing awareness. Contrary to popular belief the practice is not done to become calmer or less anxious or to traverse the cosmos on a chakra powered rainbow. Meditation asks that we re-calibrate our goal driven minds and not become overly consumed with doing or getting. From this vantage point perhaps we will notice something worth noticing.
A refreshing take on the reasons why we meditate, this essay by Stone is equally valuable food for thought for anyone thinking about spinning up a brand-new meditation practice as it is for those of us who already have an established practice.