Glossary

Meditation Types

Body scan — A meditation practice of systematically directing attention through each part of the body, noticing sensations without trying to change them.

Breath work (Pranayama) — Structured breathing techniques that regulate the nervous system. Includes box breathing, 4-7-8, alternate nostril breathing, and others.

Focused attention meditation — Concentrating on a single object (breath, sound, flame, mantra) and returning attention when it wanders.

Loving-kindness (Metta) — A practice of silently repeating well-wishes toward yourself and others, cultivating feelings of warmth and compassion.

Mantra meditation — Repeating a word or phrase (mantra) as the focus of attention. Can be a meaningful word or a traditional syllable.

Mindfulness meditation (Vipassana) — Observing whatever arises in present-moment experience — thoughts, sensations, emotions — without judgment or engagement.

Open awareness (Choiceless awareness) — Sitting with no specific focus, observing whatever arises without directing attention anywhere particular.

Visualization — Creating and sustaining a mental image as the focus of meditation. Used for relaxation, performance preparation, and healing practices.

Walking meditation — Bringing meditative attention to the act of walking, typically practiced slowly with awareness of each step.

Yoga nidra — "Yogic sleep." A guided deep relaxation practice performed lying down, creating a state between wakefulness and sleep.

Breath Work Techniques

Alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) — Breathing alternately through each nostril to balance the nervous system and create calm clarity.

Box breathing (4-4-4-4) — Inhale 4 counts, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4. Used by military and first responders for high-stress composure.

Diaphragmatic breathing — Breathing using the diaphragm rather than the chest. Activates the parasympathetic nervous system.

4-7-8 breathing — Inhale 4 counts, hold 7, exhale 8. Strongly activates the relaxation response.

Physiological sigh — Double inhale through the nose followed by one long exhale through the mouth. The fastest known technique for acute stress reduction.

Key Concepts

Anchor — The object of focus in meditation — typically the breath, a sensation, or a sound. What you return to when attention wanders.

Awareness — The capacity to know what's happening in your experience. Meditation develops meta-awareness — awareness of awareness itself.

Default mode network — The brain network active during mind-wandering, self-referential thinking, and rumination. Meditation reduces its dominance.

Equanimity — The ability to observe experience — pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral — without being pushed or pulled by it. A key quality developed through meditation.

Habituation — The brain's natural process of reducing response to repeated stimuli. In meditation, fears and discomforts diminish through repeated, non-reactive exposure.

Impermanence — The observation that all experiences — thoughts, emotions, sensations — are temporary. Deeply understanding this reduces suffering.

Meta-awareness — Awareness of your own mental state. Knowing that you're thinking, rather than being lost in thought. The core skill meditation develops.

Mindfulness — Present-moment, non-judgmental awareness of your experience. Both a quality of attention and a category of meditation practices.

Non-attachment — Not clinging to pleasant experiences or pushing away unpleasant ones. Allowing experience to flow without grasping.

Non-judgment — Observing experience without categorizing it as good or bad. Central to meditation practice — what arises simply is.

Present moment — The only time that actually exists. Meditation trains attention to rest here rather than in memories of the past or projections of the future.

RAIN — A mindfulness technique: Recognize what's happening, Allow it to be there, Investigate with curiosity, Non-identification (you are not the experience).

Relaxation response — The physiological opposite of the stress response, characterized by decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol. Coined by Herbert Benson.

Sitting — Common term for a meditation session. "I did a 20-minute sitting."

Neuroscience

Amygdala — Brain structure that processes fear and emotional reactions. Meditation reduces its size and reactivity.

Cortisol — The body's primary stress hormone. Regular meditation measurably reduces cortisol levels.

Gray matter — Brain tissue containing neuron cell bodies. Meditation increases gray matter density in regions associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection.

Parasympathetic nervous system — The "rest and digest" branch of the autonomic nervous system. Meditation and breath work activate it, countering the stress response.

Prefrontal cortex — Brain region responsible for focus, decision-making, and self-regulation. Strengthened by meditation practice.

Sympathetic nervous system — The "fight or flight" branch. Chronically activated by modern stress. Meditation helps restore balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic.

Practice Terms

Cushion (zafu) — A round meditation cushion used for seated practice on the floor.

Noting — Silently labeling experiences as they arise: "thinking," "feeling," "hearing." Creates distance and builds awareness.

Retreat — An extended period of intensive meditation practice, typically ranging from a weekend to several weeks.

Sangha — A community of meditation practitioners who practice and learn together.

Session — One period of meditation practice.

Timer — A device or app used to mark the duration of a meditation session, typically with a gentle bell.