There is a new branch of The Meditation Center of New York in Washington Heights, where local residents now have a chance to learn how to meditate to unlock the ancient mystic secrets of mind strengthening and self control. Five week long sessions include themes and topics from 2500 year old Buddhist teachings.

The Meditation Center of New York has been teaching the Kadampa branch of Buddhism at centers across the city. This branch is a Mahayana Buddhist school founded by Indian Buddhist Master Atisha which puts a focus on "stages of the path to enlightenment." Meditation can be used as a powerful tool for letting go of bad habits and strengthening the mind. The approach is to transform different states of mind to discover that life is rare and meaningful, and learning to cherish others as the basis for happiness.

It's a common belief that meditation is difficult. Well, it isn't. The only thing here to be a good practitioner is to inculcate the habit of meditation in daily life style. Initially one needs to take the time out from the busy routine and religiously practice meditation, but once you start reaping its benefits, it becomes a habit just like drinking coffee.

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As against the common perception, meditation does not take long time to master. Studies have proved that people started experiencing the benefits of meditation within a few months of practicing continuously for a few months.

Once considered a New Age fad in the US, yoga and meditation have become a key strategy in Baltimore's inner city to help kids deal with the stress of growing up in impoverished and violent neighborhoods. Researchers have known for a while that learning to meditate and practice yoga can help adults reduce stress, and the popularity of these practices has surged in recent years as a theory for everything from cancer to depression.

However, the effect of these practices on children has not been rigorously studied. Experts have noted the increased stress levels that are present in many inner city kids, and so they wanted to look at ways of giving them some coping strategies. What they found is that a 12-week yoga program targeting fourth and fifth graders in Boston did make a difference in the students' overall behavior for the better.