Lecture 1 - Introduction to Meditation

what is meditation?

relaxing and puts you in the context of nature, its the practice in which one trains the mind and/or induces an altered consciousness, it is widely practiced and used increasingly recently, it has a potentially therapeutic value for depression, anxiety and pain as a complimentary, alternative medicine (CAM), it is hard to define and each type has its own philosophy, history, technique, objectives, effects and therapeutic benefits

what are the elements of meditation?

regulated breathing, posture that is straight back and knees being in a certain position, fixed attention, comfy clothing, rehearsal of particular scripts, ceremonial objects or dress, philosophical attitudes and lifestyle regulations, religious beliefs and repetition of certain words/phrases

loving-kindness meditation

it has a repeating script about relationships and usually doesn’t come by itself but often comes with religious views, ideology and/or lifestyle

misinformation

when propagating poor research methodology on meditation, it can potentially lead to ppl being harmed, cheated, disappointed, and/or disaffected, research into a potentially promising arena that might be halted for no reason other than ppl have become tired of hearing about it (and therefore they are disinclined to pursue and/or fund it

what are the most common elements of meditative practices?

fixed attention on an anchor, breathing practices and assumed postures

the four noble truths

comes from buddhist meditative practices, life has inevitable suffering, there is a cause to our suffering, there is an end to suffering and the end to suffering is contained in the eight fold path

monk lifestyle

they begin with meditation and chanting, barefoot walk around the neighborhood, temple breakfast and blessing for world peace, deadline for the consumption of solid food, classes begin, meditation and prayer, homework, they might also assist in day to day maintenance of the temple

unravelling the effects of meditation

it might be effective because it is attached to religion and greater world views, some believe ideology or religion, lifestyle or a combination is key or meditation effects but its hard to tell as interactions are hard to study, western forms are sometimes considered stripped down lacking these key elements

which meditation practice is preferred?

breath-anchored meditation (49%) is preferred over phrase and image anchored (30% and 21%)

substantial personalization

an individual adapts the practice for themselves so you were taught one practice but gradually develop your own

demographics of meditation

people that meditate tend to have higher income, higher education, higher stress level, mental health disorders and pain conditions are more common, lower BMI, higher physical activity and healthier lifestyle, they have openness to experience as a personality to traits, they have barriers to healthcare and most are female

why do we see these demographic patterns in meditators?

due to need basis so some ppl meditate more because they’re the ones that benefit, exposure and societal views

history of meditation

buddhism marks the point in time where the rise of meditation began in study (100 BCE - 100 CE), when meditation arrived in a new area, it would fuse with pre-existing indigenous practices, it was viewed with skepticism in the new world

meditation in the old world

outside of buddhism, many other potential cases were islam (800-900 CE, sufism) and christian forms (prayer based) of meditation are also relevant, it wasnt popular in the west until much later, it was popularized by yoga, fascination with religion, immigration brought over meditative traditions, translation of tibetan texts and post WW2 interest in japanese culture

transcendental meditation

maraishi mahesh yogi brought it into the public consciousness, aided by the beatles, many americans took up the practice around this time and it is still very popular, became a thing in the 1960s, attracting interest from everyday ppl, celebrities and skeptical scientists for decades

mindfulness meditation

started in the late 1970s and has continued until now, it is defined as paying attention in a particular way, on purpose in the present moment and nonjudgmentally, its an enduring pattern of behavior, it fosters inhibition of secondary elaborative cognitions to help reduce rumination/worry and orients the individual toward experiences through openness, curiosity and acceptance

five facet mindfulness questionnaire

factors include nonreactivity, observing, awareness, describing and nonjudging, it is valid and predictive but sometimes its just short cause of logistic consideration

mindfulness (trait)

the tendency to be mindful

mindfulness meditation

meditation practice based on mindfulness, the activity

mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs)

the overall approaches that include mindfulness meditation and other activities, this includes MBSR

orignal mindfulness-based stress reduction

this is a program by kabat-zinn, it incudes mindfulness meditation, mindful eating, mindful walking, body scan exercises, yoga exercises and other activities, it has been extensively researched and is considered a promising therapeutic treatment

transcendental meditation key elements

it is part of a larger commercial industry, religiosity/spirituality and lifestyle changes are not required, the training period is shorter and lower investment, the goal of the practice is the state of enlightenment, inner calmness and emphasis on joy, it has mantras and scientific inquiry is less common

mindfulness meditation key elements

it is smaller and part of non-profit organizations, spirituality and lifestyle changes are not required, the training period is longer and higher investment, the goal of the practice is intentional awareness, non-judgmental, orientation to new experiences, it doesn’t use mantras and scientific inquiry is more common

scientific interest in meditation

interest in the health benefits of meditation has inspired research, a key event inspiring research was the work of herbet benson, a cardiologist who showed physiological benefits of relaxation and once ppl understood relaxation could have real benefits they became interested in studying meditation, most scientific research looks at MM and various forms of buddhist meditation, the reason for fixation is unclear but there are many theories