[darsham]

OK, I'll bite. Meditation allows you to gain an otherwise impossible level of control over somatic functions (heart rate, pressure). That's why it's often used by freedivers to learn to hold their breath for example, and, to a greater extent, it's used in static apnea to help you hold your breath for a ridiculous amount of time (see Jacques Mayol).

That doesn't mean it's only useful to static apnea champions, though. The potential uses are wide-ranging, perhaps stress control and introspection is what most people can get from it.