What's the best meditation technique?

What is the best technique you have found for meditation?

yoga

A very quiet, semi-dark room with a single lit candle. Play a cd full of nature sounds. I'm sure the big book stores carry these cd's. Close your eyes and visualize what you want to happen in your future. This is oh so relaxing. Let me know.

The best technique I've found is to medidate on a mantra. Make your mantra a single soothing sylable like oom or sham.

Find a comfortable quiet place where you won't be bothered.

Relax as much as possible by closing your eyes and taking long slow breaths and with exhalation count backwards from 10 to 1 letting your body relax more with each count.

Then continue the long slow breaths saying your mantra with each exhilation.

Your mind will wander, each time you find yourself thinking of something else return to your mantra. Don't judge your performance; if you can't keep your mind on your mantra just stay relaxed and keep returning to it. Some days will be harder than others but even when you don't think you are meditating you will be benefiting from it.

I found that sometimes I would loose my mantra but instead of loosing it to other thoughts I'd loose all thoughts. This was the most profound meditation for me and only happened once in a while.

I generally meditated 20 minutes/day but sometimes I lost track of time and went longer.

I found if I ate too close to when I tried to meditate that I'd just fall asleep and too much caffeine kept me from slowing my mind down.

Yoga, or Tai chi

When I first started trying to quiet my mind, to concentrate on the things of the Lord, I had a hard time, it seemed that everything in the world would come flooding into my mind... to keep me from gaining the peace that I desired... it will def. take perserverance.. to quiet your mind, if it is anything like mine was... but, once I did, it is still quiet and peaceful... determination... goes a long way... Everyone will have their own special way of doing this, I am sure...One thing I will say, is that I rebuked the intruding thoughts... and they would leave... It was a process...but, well worth it...
Blessings...

Try here, and no it's not listening to music or trying to achieve an altered state:

http://www.wildmind.org/meditation