While said to be deriving from Vedic Hinduism many centuries ago, it was later adopted into a wide variety of religious and non-religious practices which emphasize mental activity or quiesscence The word comes from the Latin meditatio, which means every type of physical or intellectual exercise, but which may be better translated here contemplation. Meditation is an experiential means of separating thoughts from the part of our consciousness which perceives the thoughts, the observer.

Different kind of meditation
Different techniques of meditation can be classified according to their focus. Be it mind fullness with a focus on the background perception and experience, or concentrative medi tation. Some meditative traditions such as Yoga or Tantra can be found in both fields.

Buddhist meditation
Most forms of Buddhism distinguish between samatha and vipassana meditation, both of which used to reach enlightenment. Samatha helps to focus the attention single-pointedly; while vipassana focuses on the true nature of reality

Theravada Buddhism
emphasizes vipassana directed towards anapana, metta bhavana, or other traditional topics

Mahayana schools
Concentration is cultivated through highly structured ritual. Chinese Chan Buddhism Sanskrit Dhyana or Zen emphasize ts'o ch'an and kung an meditation practices. The esoteric Shingon sect shares many features with Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism
emphasizes tantra for its senior practitioners; hence its alternate name of Vajrayana Buddhism. Chanting or participating in group liturgy is also regarded as meditiation.

Christian meditation
Christian traditions have various practices which might be identified as forms of "meditation." Many of these are monastic practices

Eastern Orthodoxy
recognizes the Jesus prayer similar to Hindu mantra meditation

Roman Catholicism
focuses on contemplative practices, such as the rosary, lectio divina, or the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola.

Protestant groups
Especially the Quaker meeting in which participants sit quietly, waiting for the "inner light" to move someone to speak matches "meditation" New Thought groups practice "meditation" during which various positive thoughts are affirmed

Islam
"meditation" associated especially with Sufism includes practices ranging from recitation of the divine names to the “Whirling Dervishes”

Judaism
Although Kabbalah and Hassidic Judaism have the explicit concept of meditation one can argue that a good deal of Jewish prayer is meditative.

Osho
taught a very wide variety of meditative techniques ranging from dynamic (fast body movements) to vipassana (absolute quietness)

Qigong and Daoyin
a large, diverse array of Chinese breath training practises originally related to Taoism, Buddhism, traditional Chinese medicine and the Chinese and some Japanese martial arts. The Chinese martial art "Tai Chi Chuan" is often referred to as “meditation in motion

Sikhism
encourages the divine meditation on God's name

Taoism
includes a number of meditative and contemplative traditions often focused on ecstatic journeys to other realms (some of them within the human body).

Transcendental Meditation (TM)
introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi focused on mantras given to the practitioner by the teacher

Vedanta
Yoga as outlined by Patanjali describes eight "limbs" of spiritual practices, half of which might be classified as meditation. Underlying them is the assumption that a yogi should still the fluctuations of his or her mind:

Meditation in context with normal human life
Most traditions address integration of mind, body, and spirit or that of spiritual practice with family life, work, and so on. Meditation is expected to lead to positive changes in one's daily life and attitudes. In that spirit some Zen practitioners have promoted "Zen driving," aimed at reducing road rage or Osho introduced “Working Meditation”
Meditation is often presented not as a "free-standing" activity, but as one part of a wider spiritual tradition. Religious authorities typically insist that spiritual practices such as meditation belong in the context of a well-rounded religious life.
Perhaps the most widely-cited spiritual prerequisite for meditation is that of an ethical lifestyle. Even many martial arts teachers will ask their students to respect parents and teachers, and inculcate other positive values.