A lot of people are interested in meditation to help manage stress or pain or problems focusing. Some people that I know have said that meditation didn't work for them. My sister, for example, was recommended meditation and to do breathing exercises by her therapist. It didn't work for her and she didn't stick with it. I think people are already skeptical about it's efficacy going into it because it does sound a little bit too good to be true.
"Oh, here's a cost free, drug free, way to be happy with no side effects!"
An issue
Despite the scientific studies proving it works, intense skepticism about meditation still seems common. Even people who actually want it to be true, often don't think it will actually work for them. The problem I see with what you've said here is that it is perhaps okay for someone on a spiritual path. But those of us who would like to take advantage of meditation unaffiliated with a guru or spiritual path (which we may find highly dubious) should not have to rely on faith too much. We should be able to experiment with these techniques and see a result - not just have faith that it's working.
If one simply has to take it on faith that it's working, that is going to cut out a lot of people. In that case, it's not very much different than reading the bible or praying or going to church (all things recommended to people for stress and depression). Again, many of us feel alienated by that kind of stuff.
I can say I have struggled with meditation techniques not seeming to be working for me. I do believe everyone's nervous system is wired up a little bit differently so every
technique might not be right for every person. Yogananda's techniques never really clicked with me very well. I find his energization exercises to be almost a form of torture. Some meditation techniques may even make you frustrated. This can't be good, then.
For example, with prayer and some other kinds of meditation techniques, they only frustrate me. Prayer frustrates me because I don't know who the hell I'm talking to. It feels like talking to a wall, myself, Santa Clause, or something obviously not there, which is frustrating. Other techniques make me feel too busy and like I am having to do a lot of work. I am a lazy guy, so these frustrate me as well. Any kind of visualization or affirmation and I am looking for the door.
Osho interestingly theorized (rightly or wrongly? you be the judge) that modern man's lifestyle actually makes it harder for him to meditate. His reasoning was that back in ancient India when most of the meditation techniques were invented man was more physically active, he was performing physically intensive labor, chopping wood, and so on. Also, it is noteworthy to realize that he did not have a 24/7 feed of media and information. He was not passing new people on the street all day. And he was perhaps not traveling very far. He may live in one small village for his whole life and see only a handful of people per day. He may spend a lot of time simply sitting and not being mentally stimulated by anything. Osho theorized then that these people would go into meditations like So-hum (or Hung Sau as Yogananda version) or breath watching more easily.
To address this Osho created what he called dynamic meditations which involve a period of intense physical movement and cartharsis before the silent sitting stage. This was to cleanse the excess garbage that has supposedly gathered in the modern man's mind which may not have been there in ancient times.
This is at least an interesting idea. The problem that I have found with Osho's dynamic meditation is having a place to practice it. Unless you have a private gym or a house with a room big enough for you to do it, as well as no close by neighbors to hear you catharting, you are out of luck.
For me, I have found various kinds of meditations which appeal to me. I practiced mantra japa for a while but I found the reference to another cultures mythological Gods to be too much of an obstacle to overcome. It is, however, a powerful device for keeping away thoughts in one can do it wholeheartedly.
Some that have clicked with me
- Watching the breathe (this is probably my least favorite)
- Stop meditation (this was taught by Osho and I believe derived from Gurdjieff)
- Vipassanna or Zazen (this involves simply sitting quietly and watching thoughts, not doing anything. Breath watching sometimes happens naturally.)
- Self Enquiry (this is the method most often recommended by Ramana Maharshi. It involves holding on to the "I" thought and observing how it arises)
I find Self-Inquiry to be simply impossible in certain mind states. Those who are simply looking for stress management should probably try one of the other techniques first.