Meditation
Meditation is considered in the eastern world to be the route to enlightenment, whereas in the west it is perceived as a stress buster or relaxation technique. Clearly the relaxation benefits are present however I would not undervalue this incredibly simple and free technique to reach higher states of consciouness.
In fact you will find that many of the manifestation tools available would greatly benefit understanding the meditative process and its use in manifestation. Having said that the ancient yogis and sages having recommended that you should not be in a state of wanting, desiring or manifesting when meditating as this leads you off the path of manifestation and onto a path of looking for siddhis or special powers.
Meditation
can take eons to master and yet to describe is an easy process. After all to sit and think about nothing seems so easy however in practice it does take time before you can let go of all thoughts and process.
Energy empowerments and healing
can provide the necessary mind-set to help you to meditate and I find that once healing starts many of my clients enter a meditative state, this enables me to work and concentrate on the healing. It also means that the client is in the right state to recieve the maximum benefit from the healing.
If you are interested in the states of consciousness such as Alpha, Beta, Theta and Delta you can check out
http://www.psychic-junkie.com/alpha-state-of-mind.html
for more details.
When I want to get into a meditative state I send healing to my pineal gland with the intention to get me into a meditative state and find that I almost instantly feel much more relaxed and all those extra thoughts vanish. Once I am in this state healing becomes easier and more effective. I do feel that these states of conciousness are very much linked to how self-realised or enlightened a person is. So if you can easily achieve the Delta state you are a great Yogi. One of the ways to get to a state of enlightenment is to work your way through Alpha to Delta. Delta is the state at which great Yogis can appear as if they are suspended, with an almost invisible breathing pattern. As I have already stated this is not an easy state to acheive but practice and dedication can help you get to this place of bliss and tranquility.

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