Meditation Glossary

A Buddhist meditation technique centered on mindful observation of the natural breath.

An attitude of openness and lack of preconceptions, approaching experience with fresh curiosity.

A practice of systematically directing attention through regions of the body to observe sensations.

Meditation practices aimed at developing sustained, single-pointed focus and mental stability.

A brain network active during mind-wandering and self-referential thought, reduced by meditation.

In Buddhist context, the teachings of the Buddha; more broadly, the natural order or truth of reality.

A state of psychological stability and composure undisturbed by experience of or exposure to emotions or pain.

A meditation approach involving sustained concentration on a chosen object such as breath or mantra.

A meditation session led by a teacher or recording that provides verbal instructions throughout the practice.

The Buddhist concept that all conditioned phenomena are transient and constantly changing.

A meditation practice focused on developing clear seeing into the nature of reality through self-observation.

Walking meditation practiced in Zen Buddhism, involving slow, deliberate steps with full attention.

A meditation practice generating feelings of warmth and goodwill toward self and others.

A word, phrase, or sound repeated during meditation to aid concentration and focus.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, an eight-week program by Jon Kabat-Zinn for managing stress and pain.

Nonjudgmental present-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, sensations, and environment.

A Buddhist term for the restless, easily distracted nature of the untrained mind.

The brain's ability to reorganize and form new neural connections, demonstrated to occur through meditation.

A meditation style maintaining broad awareness of all arising experiences without fixating on one object.

The body's rest-and-digest response, activated by meditation to counteract stress.

Herbert Benson's term for the physiological state of deep rest elicited by meditation techniques.

A community of practitioners who meditate and study together, providing mutual support.

The Pali word for mindfulness or awareness; the quality of being present and attentive.

A mantra-based technique by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi involving 20-minute sessions of effortless repetition.

Seated meditation in Zen Buddhism emphasizing correct posture, breath focus, and non-attachment to thought.