What is meditation?

Definition of Meditation

Meditation is a practice of mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.[1][2][3][4][web 1][web 2]

Meditation is practiced in numerous religious traditions. The earliest records of meditation (dhyana) are found in the Upanishads, and meditation plays an important role in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.[5] Since the 19th century, Asian meditative techniques have spread to other cultures where they have also found application in non-spiritual contexts, such as business and health.[6]

Meditation may significantly reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and pain,[7] and enhance peace, perception,[8] self-concept, and well-being.[9][10][11] Research is ongoing to better understand the effects of meditation on health (psychological, neurological, and cardiovascular) and other areas.

Dictionary Definition of Meditation

Dictionaries give both the original Latin meaning of “think[ing] deeply about (something)”;[web 2] as well as the popular usage of “focusing one’s mind for a period of time”,[web 2] “the act of giving your attention to only one thing, either as a religious activity or as a way of becoming calm and relaxed”,[web 3] and “to engage in mental exercise (such as concentrating on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness.

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The correct technique or posture of meditation

The correct technique or posture of meditation

Dec 1, 2023

Asanas or body postures and positions such as padmasana (full-lotus, half-lotus), cross-legged sitting, seiza, and kneeling positions are popular in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism,[49] although other postures such as sitting, supine (lying), and standing are also used. Meditation is also sometimes done while walking, known as kinhin, while doing a simple task mindfully, known as samu, or while lying down, known as shavasana.[50][51]

Potential adverse effects and limits of meditation

Potential adverse effects and limits of meditation

Dec 1, 2023

The understanding of the potential for adverse effects in meditation is evolving. In 2014, the US government-run National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health suggested that: A 2020 review examined 83 studies (a total of 6,703 participants) and found that 55 of those studies reported negative experiences related to meditation practices. The researchers concluded that about 8 percent of participants had a negative effect from practicing meditation, which is similar to the percentage reported for psychological therapies.[142]

Another 2021 review found negative impacts in 37% of the sampled participants in mindfulness-based programmes, with lasting bad effects in 6–14% of the sample, associated with hyperarousal and dissociation.[143] Principles of informed consent require that treatment choice be based in part on the balance of benefits to harms, and therefore can only be made if harms are adequately measured and known. Meditation is not helpful if it used to avoid facing ongoing problems or emerging crises in the meditator’s life. In such situations, it may instead be helpful to apply mindful attitudes while actively engaging with current problems.

Effects of meditation

Effects of meditation

Dec 1, 2023

The psychological and physiological effects of meditation have been studied. In recent years, studies of meditation have increasingly involved the use of modern instruments, such as fMRI and EEG, which are able to observe brain physiology and neural activity in living subjects, either during the act of meditation itself or before and after meditation.