Meditation really means awareness, being in the present moment, so anything we do with awareness can become a meditation. When we are walking, if we are aware that we are walking, that becomes a walking meditation. Usually we are thinking about where we are walking to or what we are going to do when we get there, with very little awareness of the actual walking. The same applies when we are eating. Very little attention is given to the act of eating. Instead, we are watching television, reading the newspaper or driving our car. If our awareness is on the eating, how the food smells, tastes etc., the meal becomes an eating meditation. It is our thoughts that distract us from being in the present, constantly trying to lead us into the past or the future. We can't stop thinking, so it would be useless to try. Instead, meditation often centers around the use of 'anchors', which bring our awareness back into the present whenever we realize we have drifted away. These anchors can be mantras or simply awareness of the breath. The art of meditation teaches us to relax and remain alert in the midst of the problems and the joys of life. It allows us to rest in the moment with ease and respond to life with compassion.

Adapted from Deepak Chopra On Meditation