In many religions and cultures, meditation is a spiritual practice with the goal to improve concentration,attentiveness and calmness.
Trough attentiveness and concentration exercises the mind should become calm and collected.
Meditation should help to get into an awareness state demarcated from the everyday awareness in with the present is paramount. A state of deep relaxation and inner stability can be achieved with this exercise.

In eastern cultures meditation is a fundamental and central mind-expending exercise. The sought after states of awareness are, depending on the tradition, explained differently and are often described with terms such as stillness, emptiness, being one, being here and now and free of thought.