Is that meditation when one sits with legs folded and eyes closed? Have you ever tried that? If yes, then : why? If no, then : why not!?

I'm asking this because our school is organising meditation classes from next month, and I'd love to know what it is all about? I have some questions for all of you :

Is it religious and do we have to chant religious words while meditating?

When and how should it be done? Any personal experience...?

What is the correct posture?
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I hope I get answers to some of these questions, so as to prepare myself for Meditation classes which are startin next month in our school! Sshhh....silence.

I did it when I was in fifth grade.

It wasn’t religious.

Most of the time we were mainly supposed to sit in silence while doing breathing exercises that we practiced before hand. We sat cross-legged with our chests up for that one. I don’t think there were instructions on how to keep our eyes for that one.

On a class trip we had an instructor who wanted us to envision stuff like floating on a sparkling cloud over a green meadow. There were other stuff we were supposed to envision using all of our senses. We did those laying down with our eyes closed.

I’ve seen guys in a park sitting on a bench saying stuff while they meditate. I think they are religious. I’m not sure what they say.

I guess there are different ways to do it.

Meditation bores me, but some people swear by it.

We were taught meditation in school so we’d learn how to relax.

It never seemed to work for me. When I close my eyes and relax, I fall asleep.

There is a great article about meditation in the latest "Oprah" magazine. The truth is that there is no specific way to meditate. Meditation is a journey, not a methodology.

It's not religious at all, unless you want it to be. Cross your legs and chant if you want - it's your mind exercise, you get to design it!

As said just before, meditation isn't religious unless prescribed by your own religion, and there are almost endless variations. Mantras (repeating words mentally or aloud) are a common way, as are various breathing methods, concentrating on points in the body, and combinations of these.
Anyone interested in experiencing new ways of feeling should try it, and I know from 8 years with my own meditation group everyone reacts differently to the same method, so you can't assume what works/not for others will for you until you've tried it yourself.
Plus the discipline in simply doing it regularly trains you in a new skill which may also develop the patience to stick with things. It shouldn't be approached as work, but as something more like a journey of discovery. I'd always recommend it as the worst you can do is sit quietly for a while and do very little, and my cat for one swears by doing just that

Okay, where do we concentrate after we close our eyes? On parts of our body? What should be the expected outcome?

Well, I tried some of that last night. I (tried to)concentrate hard, but outside thoughts would not leave me. Is it that difficult?

Ankur, sorry, I was only describing all types of meditation in general. If you'll be learning it at school, they'll teach you their particular method, plus you can find many more in books or on the net. It's usually just done as taught with no effort or expectation, and you just see what happens, otherwise the mind gets involves and blocks it. But it's always better if you learn from a teacher, and something tells me you have no shortage of them in India

Toooo Many teachers out here. They teach it "Hindu" style with all those religious words. Anyways, thanks for the advice. I must wait for the classes.