Why Meditate?

Traditionally meditation is an important part of a well-rounded yoga practice; however, meditation has been a part of yoga that I have neglected, seeing as more of a indulgence than a necessity and not an essential part of a my life.  Keeping my mind focused has always been a challenge for me.  Tolle would that I am completely wrong.  He claims that most of people's emotional struggles are based around an inability to be present.  He says that feelings like regret and guilt are rooted in focusing overly on the past, while feelings similar to anxiety are all rooted in overly focusing on the future (61).  I have tendency personally to dwell a lot in the future and waste an exceptional amount of time reviewing to-do lists and stressing about what I need to get done.  Tolle's writing has made me seriously examine the moments I am wasting dwelling in the future and attempt to spend more conscious time in the present.  I find myself checking my thought process when I allow my thoughts to become overly rooted somewhere besides the present and even using some of the meditation techniques that Tolle suggests in order to root my mind in the present moment.

One way to experience the present moment is through the meditative practice of focused breathing.  Tolle suggests the following breathing technique: "Conscious breathing, which is a powerful meditation in its own right, will gradually put you in touch with the body.  Follow the breath with your attention as if moves in and out of your body.  Breathe into the body, and feel your abdomen expanding and contracting slightly with each inhalation and exhalation" (125).  In my mediation practice each day, I have been consciously thinking about the movement of my diaphragm and applying this belly breathing strategy as I meditate.  I breathe in for one count - feeling the diaphragm expand, breathe out for 1 count - drawing the diaphragm back into the chest cavity, breathe in for two counts, out for two, in for three, out for three - up to ten and then start at the beginning again.  It does help me to focus more on the present moment and to control my typically overactive mind.

Do you agree with Tolle: does being in the present moment help to increase a person's joy/happiness?
Tolle, Eckhart. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. Novato, California: Namaste Publishing & New World Library, 1999. Print.