I was talking to one of my good friends the other day, and I commented that he always seemed calm and upbeat no matter what was going on in his life. He said that mostly it was due to meditation, and he practiced everyday! I was actually shocked, as I didn't know he meditated, and I thought only monks meditated everyday?!
Anyway, I have thought about it a lot, I have done a bit of research and there appear to be so many benefits... If this is all true, why doesn't everyone do it? But it is certainly true in the case of my friend....
So, I want to find out for myself, so I have the goal to learn to meditate...

I asked my friend and he also does TM. I agree with you that it is best to get a style which best suits you - especially if you are going to commit to practising daily! I am going to try out a few different styles before I choose the one I commit to learning and practising.

Hey JK - I had similar questions when I started to learn. There are so many styles available, and each one seems to claim to be the best or the most effective form.
I have been learning and practicing for well over a year now, and I have experienced a lot of benefits in my life. One of my goals was to meditate daily as after I learnt to meditate the key thing was to continue to practice regularly to notice the benefits.
As I posted onto the goal 'meditate daily' a while ago, I think the style that you do is really a matter of personal preference - I think all styles have the same goal and a very similar end result. I tried a couple of different styles including buddish and zen meditation (basically very controlled breathing techniques), and latterly transcendental meditation.
I think TM was a better stye for me as it was a lot more relaxed, and instead of focusing on a breath involves focusing on a mantra you are givien. Also, when learning TM I went to several dedicated classes for ky level where the instructor made time to answer all my questions - I found this more informative than other styles I tried. That said, I know a lot of people who love other styles of meditation, claiming great results.
My advice would be to find a few meditation classes in your area and try a variety of different styles until you find one which you feel is suited to you - then focus on doing that style of a daily basis.
I hope this helps, and good luck with your goal.

As I have started to research meditation, I have come to realise that there are so many different styles to chose from - I see a lot of styles ranging from Zen to transcendental! Does anyone have a view as to which style is best???

I often get stressed in my day to day life - this starts with little frustrations such as overcrowding and rudeness of people on the underground to issues at works etc, and this impacts on all areas of my life - with my ability to work effectively, my relationships with friends and family. I guess I just feel that I am missing peace. Even when things are going well I can feel some form of stress or anziety bubbling under the surface.
I have a friend who genuinely seems to be a very cool person - he rarely gets stressed about anything, he is really calm and good natured and has a great energy which makes him a pleasure to be around. I asked him the other day what his secret was, and he told me it was mainly due to his practice of meditation. He has been doing it regularly twice a day for the past 2 years (apparantly 20 mins 2x per day!) - this is quite a commitment, but if it would help me feel more peaceful and relaxed it would certainly be a worthwhile investment. When I come to think of it, I probably waste 40 mins per day watching TV or some other activity which has no benefit to me at all.
I have therefore decided that I will learn meditation.

I was talking to one of my good friends the other day, and I commented that he always seemed calm and upbeat no matter what was going on in his life. He said that mostly it was due to meditation, and he practiced everyday! I was actually shocked, as I didn't know he meditated, and I thought only monks meditated everyday?!
Anyway, I have thought about it a lot, I have done a bit of research and there appear to be so many benefits... If this is all true, why doesn't everyone do it? But it is certainly true in the case of my friend....
So, I want to find out for myself, so I have the goal to learn to meditate...

As I have started to research meditation, I have come to realise that there are so many different styles to chose from - I see a lot of styles ranging from Zen to transcendental! Does anyone have a view as to which style is best???

I often get stressed in my day to day life - this starts with little frustrations such as overcrowding and rudeness of people on the underground to issues at works etc, and this impacts on all areas of my life - with my ability to work effectively, my relationships with friends and family. I guess I just feel that I am missing peace. Even when things are going well I can feel some form of stress or anziety bubbling under the surface.
I have a friend who genuinely seems to be a very cool person - he rarely gets stressed about anything, he is really calm and good natured and has a great energy which makes him a pleasure to be around. I asked him the other day what his secret was, and he told me it was mainly due to his practice of meditation. He has been doing it regularly twice a day for the past 2 years (apparantly 20 mins 2x per day!) - this is quite a commitment, but if it would help me feel more peaceful and relaxed it would certainly be a worthwhile investment. When I come to think of it, I probably waste 40 mins per day watching TV or some other activity which has no benefit to me at all.
I have therefore decided that I will learn meditation.