Hi Marilyn, I enjoy both yoga and meditation myself. Although I seem to be naturally flexible, I know yoga will also build strength.
As for the meditation, that sounds very much like the Hindu view that there is atman and brahma, that is to say your soul/essense (atman) is the same as that of the universe. (brahma) To look at another perspective, the Buddhists say there is no soul or self but that impermanence is one of the basic facts of life. I think both approaches will allow you to exercise mental concentration, though.
I'm not that familiar with hindu meditation techniques, but as far as seeing things as they are, if you let things pass (which is what atleast one type of Buddhist meditation teaches, specifically Vipassana) then you're not so focused on your personal perception, and in that sense you can see things as they are without any kind of judgement or assumptions. I think the important thing is at the heart of both teachings you have this non-dual idea of ultimate reality, on the one hand it's said we're of the same stuff, on the other hand there's this picture of an ever changing collective so that pieces isn't really meaningful. In both cases there is the message of union with ultimate reality, in the case of yoga it is explicit, (as you may know that's what the word means) in Buddhism it seems to be more implicit. Seems to me it's basically saying the same thing, though. The only thing I have to say about meditation regardless of what type is to have a passive attitude. Even if the technique you're practicing is more of a focused concentration, don't get caught up in how well you're doing. If you become distracted judging your performance is just another distraction. You'll probably find you do better when you're not so concerned about how well you're doing.
