Meditation Project: Types Matter

The False Mirror by Rene Magritte

Even though Ram wrote in Meditation, Brain Waves, and Deep Relaxation that the brain waves are the same for meditation and deep relaxation, I still believe that the type of meditation or relaxation you do will influence the effects it has, both in the short term and the long term. For example, in my post The Biochemical Basis for a Gratitude Practice, I discussed how a gratitude practice can produce both dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is a messenger molecule that stimulates your brain's reward and pleasure center and serotonin, which among other things, is a mood stabilizer, reducing depression and anxiety. (This is one reason I've been searching for a gratitude meditation that I can work with.)

So this implies to me that the object of your meditation—or the type of meditation you are practice—might influence what you experience as you meditate as well as what the long-term effects of the practice as. One commenter on Facebook actually left some links for me to check out about this very topic, and one took me to a paper Increased Gamma Brainwave Amplitude Compared to Control in Three Different Meditation Traditions, about a study of three different types of meditation, Vipassana, Himalayan Yoga and Isha Shoonya. The study found both similarities and differences in the neuroimagery of the meditators:

"We have provided evidence that daily meditation practice is correlated to both state and trait changes in the observed amplitude of brain electrical oscillations of three different meditation practices. These changes do appear to vary across meditative techniques but one shared feature appears to be enhanced gamma power in the parieto-occipital area. In addition, one specific finding that seems to be unique amongst these three groups of meditative practice is the enhanced alpha power seen as a trait effect in Vipassana practitioners relative to control subjects, Isha shoonya yoga and Himalayan yoga tradition practitioners. Further EEG studies of meditation should favour comparative designs to help move forward our understanding of the neuronal basis of meditation practice."

Last week in Receiving Quietness, I referred to the possible differences between yogic and Buddhist forms of meditation. While I still need to learn more about this, the paper mentioned above said something about types of meditation that set off some bells for me:

"Meditative practices are usually considered to fall somewhere along a continuum of two broader categories, concentration meditations and mindfulness meditations, also referred to as “focused attention” and “open monitoring” states of attentional engagement."

Yes, I had been thinking that yogic style meditation is "focused attention," with the aim of just quieting the mind. And in the paper above, the Himalayan Yoga style of meditation they studied—which is based on mantra repetition— was the "focused attention" type. And I had been thinking that Buddhist meditation—which I've often heard referred to as mindfulness—is more of an "open monitoring" style of practice, with an aim of understanding your thought patterns and learning not get so caught up in them (that's because I've read so much Jon Kabat-Zinn). And in the paper above, the Vipassana style of meditation—which focuses on body sensations—was the "open monitoring" style.

So it turns out that not only are there two different basic types of meditation, but these two types do have different effects on the brain. But after a bit of research, I found I was wrong to generalize about Buddhist meditation. I learned from the Tricyle magazine article What Exactly Is Vipassana Meditation? that both styles are part of the Buddhist tradition.

"Buddhism addresses two major types of meditation. They are different mental skills, modes of functioning or qualities of consciousness. In Pali, the original language of Theravada literature, they are called Vipassana and Samatha.

Vipassana can be translated as “Insight,” a clear awareness of exactly what is happening as it happens. Samatha can be translated as “concentration” or “tranquility.” It is a state in which the mind is brought to rest, focused only on one item and not allowed to wander. When this is done, a deep calm pervades body and mind, a state of tranquility which must be experienced to be understood."

Well, that clears up what the traditions are in Buddhism. But I still have questions about whether both types exist within the yoga tradition. All I can say is: To Be Continued.

As for my practice, I'm starting to get more comfortable with practicing. Here's my meditation diary for the previous week:

Monday, January 14

Still working on receiving the quietness, which continues to be effective. But I'm also still thinking about the passage of time, which is part of why my thoughts are aggravating. It is a claustrophobic feeling--being trapped in time--even though I've done it to myself--that I hate. Near the end I felt as if I might be falling asleep, even though I was sitting--was I entering some kind of trance?

Just after lunch might be a good time to meditate. Weird, I know.

I could try incense sometime. Maybe that would make me more comfortable. (I forgot about this idea the rest of the week.)

Tuesday, January 15

Today was easier! I worked on quieting the whole time. I had had some bodywork done earlier, so I was already physically relaxed. Maybe that helped?

I had the idea that I could alternate daily between a gratitude practice and a quieting practice as an experiment. (I forgot about this observation the rest of the week.)

Wednesday, January 16

Worked on quieting again. Is this going to do me any good? It has been pouring rain lately and I'm starting to feel a bit depressed and uninspired. (Good reason to do a gratitude practice, but I forgot for some reason.)

Later in the day, I suddenly had a breakthrough in my writing and started feeling inspired again.

Thursday, January 17

I must be getting used to sitting because today I wanted to sit and just get on with it. A new thing that happened was two ideas about my writing came up. I experienced some conflict over that because I wanted to cling to those ideas--maybe even repeat them in my brain--so I wouldn't forget them, but I knew I had to let them go and move on.

Then I remembered I forgot to put the salmon in the fridge after I came home from shopping! So then I had three things I wanted to remember.

Is there some kind of solution for this suddenly realizing things while you are meditating problem?

Friday, January 18

Yes, I'm getting used to sitting and it's starting to feel more tolerable.

In the evening, Brad and I saw on piece on the PBS News Hour about Colin O'Brady, who walked solo across Antarctica. He said he trained mentally for the journey by meditating, including by going on 10-day silent meditation retreats.

"I have kind of an avid meditation practice. Every year, I go to a 10-day silent meditation retreat, no reading, no writing, no eye contact. We have both done that several times, just as part of just our life, as a way to reflect.

But that ultimately prepared me so well to be in solitude like this."

I told Brad that the thought of a 10-day silent meditation retreat made me feel claustrophobic (that fear of being trapped in time). He said he thought it sounded interesting and maybe we should do it sometime, though starting with a shorter retreat would probably be a good idea.

Sunday, January 20

Felt like I needed to take it easier on the weekend, so I practiced in Legs Up the Wall pose for 20 minutes. To be honest, I didn't experience the very deep quietness I had earlier in the week, but this practice is just so much easier and more comfortable for me. It's just really pleasant and I have no feeling of claustrophobia or being trapped in time.

by Nina Zolotow


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