As a new yoga practitioner, I've also begun to practice regular meditation. Both practices help to calm my mind from the busy Beta Brainwave state to the quite Alpha Brainwave state.

But once I've reached this state - the meditation becomes a time to rehearse and practice specific mental movies and not simply a time to sit.

After reading a book about compassion by the Dalai Lama, I spend a couple sessions of 10 to 20 minutes each day, meditating on the suffering of others - contemplating the things I may do or say to help them reduce their suffering. These meditations have provided a perspective of empathy for others while experiencing negative personal interactions - helping to soften my responses to their expressions of frustration. While I feel them let go of some negative energies and the quality of our interactions improve - the main benefit is that I don't bring their negative energies into myself and I maintain my balance of peace after our communications.