It's easy to believe that any time you take to relax or meditate is time that could be used elsewhere. But taking time out doesn't mean it is selfish or even wasted time.

This fall, InsightLA celebrates its 10th anniversary -- a decade during which Trudy and an ever-growing band of colleagues have helped change the lives of thousands of Angelenos.

If you consider your attention like a kind of currency -- you only have so much, and what you choose to spend it on is what you will receive -- then you will begin to see that you have a choice. You have the power to guide your experience of life by choosing what you decide to focus on.

When we find silence, it becomes our breath, and when we use it effectively, it brings newness and direction to life. Silence con­quers the tyrants of habit that oppress, suppress, and deceive us.

In this post I will share a daily spiritual practice that helped me work through a life-threatening illness and discover new fulfillment, in case it may benefit you or someone you know.

Omega talks with Sharon Salzberg, who urges us to live from love and take care of one another.

While I'm still earthly in my immediate goals -- refine mind, body and spirit as relates to my physical presence among my fellow humans -- I'm on a far longer path to the truth of it all, which is where meditation is meant ultimately to lead.

There are two kinds of people in this world: those that are able to meditate and those that are not. I fall into the second category. I have tried many times but my mind just will not shut up.

When I sit down to meditate a crazy cacophony of ideas vie for attention, each one more urgent than the last. These ideas are like demons that need to be released into the air or they will undermine my ability to function.

Meditation is a companion to have throughout life, like a best friend we turn to when things get hard to deal with and we are in need of inspiration, clarity, and even inner happiness.

Have you ever wondered what this life is all about? What are we really doing with our lives? What are we supposed to be doing? What is our role?

Meditation is complete indulgence in the experience of the present moment. We often think of indulgent behavior as being morally wrong, which it can be when it comes at the expense of a deeper connectedness.

What we believe colors our every thought, word and action. The idea that it is our work, family or lifestyle that is causing us stress, and that if we were to change these then we would be fine, is seeing the situation from the wrong perspective.

Meditation is an awareness that we cultivate, and it creates a positive, more productive state of being. It is not just something that you "do," but it is primarily a state of being.

We've always had this myth that we are supposed to sit in a corner, silence our mind, close our eyes, and then meditate. It's not true.

Let's challenge ourselves to kick our practice to higher level by practicing generosity in our lives. How often and how far can we go out of our way each day? How does practicing generosity affect our own sense of well-being?

Meditation can change your life and your very sense of who you are. There is a reason it has been around for thousands of years and practiced by people from all walks of life and on all parts of the globe.