> if that is the case how is meditation any different from say watching a movie that you love or playing drums. The main difference, I've found, is temporal. B

> if that is the case how is meditation any different from say watching a movie that you love or playing drums. The main difference, I've found, is temporal. By focusing on the breath, you stay grounded in the present moment. Watching a movie will trigger memories or thoughts about the future, which, to me, seem to tax the mind a lot more than simple, objective thoughts about the present moment. Playing the drums could be like this, but you have to get lost in it and be improvising or sight reading something you've never played before. If you're worried about making mistakes, remembering the music or anything along those lines, you're not as in the moment as you could be. Most people don't play that way.