Meditation
Perhaps there are two types of people: those who have experienced the scientifically proven benefits of meditation (they're the ones walking around with calm, happy smiles on their faces), and those who think it's some kind of freaky, chanting, flaky thing to do (they're the ones who are always wound up in a knot). The truth is, there are numerous ways of meditating; some include chanting, but most don't. And very few of them involve anything esoteric.
There are really two ways to meditate. The first is to focus on something, either visually or on your breath, and to allow that focus to take you out of your head so much that your breathing, heart rate, and nervous system relax. For example, if you think about your breath and begin to let go of other thoughts, then eventually you lose even your concentration on your breath, and your mind stops having racing thoughts.
The second way to meditate is to try to empty your mind. Try not to think about anything. This is often very hard for people, because we are always thinking. However, when you do this type of meditation, you simply sit and let go. Thoughts will occur to you, but you just let them pass. Don't ruminate on them or connect them to another thought.
Meditation helps you learn to control your breathing and heart rate, which is useful during exercise, because as you become better at breathing, you can take deeper and more constructive breaths even while you're working out at a high intensity. Also, as you've learned, the true measure of fitness is recovery time and efficiency — how long it takes your heart to slow down after effort and how easily your heart responds to effort — and meditation helps both of those measures.
One of the best ways to experience the benefits of meditation is to do it for a just a minute. Right now, sit up, make sure your feet are supported (if you're in a chair, they should be on the floor), and bring your mental focus to the in and out of your breath.
As you do this, try to slow down both your inhale and your exhale, making your breaths deeper and longer. Bring your breath deep into your body and imagine it expanding so far that it fills all of you, even your fingertips and toes.
Continue breathing deeply and focusing on your breath. Some thoughts will come into your head, but just let them pass. Eventually you will feel your heart rate and breathing rate slow. If you get anxious or too self-aware, just stop and try again tomorrow. Continue this type of practice, eventually working your way up to ten minutes of meditation.
