What is Meditation?

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You've likely heard the term 'meditation' in various contexts, from wellness trends to high-performance strategies. But what exactly is meditation?

 

Put very simply, meditation is a practical technique for training your attention and awareness.

It’s not necessarily about emptying your mind, achieving spiritual enlightenment, or abandoning your ambition. Instead, it's about developing a skill that can profoundly impact how you navigate your daily life.

 

Beyond the Myths: What Meditation Isn't

 

Let's be clear. Meditation isn't about stopping your thoughts. Your mind is designed to think, and meditation teaches you to observe thoughts without getting carried away by them. It's not a quick fix, but a practice and skill developed over time. It’s a tool for anyone seeking greater mental agility and emotional resilience.

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What are the Tangible Benefits of Meditation?

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For driven individuals, the implications of a regular meditation practice are significant and increasingly backed by science. Meditation strengthens your ability to concentrate on complex tasks and sustain attention, leading to greater productivity.

 

Meditation also activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping you recover faster from stress and build emotional resilience. By creating mental space, it can foster clearer thinking and more rational decision-making. It can even help you fall asleep faster and achieve deeper, more restorative sleep. (Read more about the benefits of meditation here)

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What are the Different Types of Meditation?

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There are many styles of meditation, each with a unique approach to training attention and awareness. Providing a variety of meditation types can help you find the best fit for your specific goals. Whether your aim is to manage stress, enhance focus, or unlock creativity, there is a practice designed for you.

 

At klarosity we provide a structured programme of meditation styles so that you can experience a wide range of practices to find what works for you.
 

• What is Breathing Meditation?
  Breathing meditation is a foundational tool for any practice. Focusing on the breath helps you to bring conscious awareness to the present moment, calming your entire system. As your awareness of the breath grows, you may begin to realise that you can control not only your breathing but also your thoughts, which is a true benefit of the practice. Breathing meditations can be a focused awareness practice, or a mindfulness experience in which you bring conscious awareness to your body and mind.
   

• What is Mantra Meditation?
  The word 'mantra' is a Sanskrit term often translated as a 'spiritual sound formula' or a 'liberation from thinking'. In this practice, you repeat a word or phrase, either silently or out loud, to anchor your attention. The value of a mantra often lies in its vibrational quality rather than its meaning, helping to quiet the mind and deepen your meditation.
   

• What is Mindfulness Meditation?
  Mindfulness is about learning to live in the present moment and accept 'what is'. It involves observing your body, thoughts, emotions, and environment without judgement. This practice helps you detach from internal chatter, reducing reactivity and allowing you to accept things that are not in your control. Meditation is the tool that brings us to mindfulness, helping to cultivate a broader awareness and compassion for yourself.
   

• What is Contemplation Meditation?
  Contemplation can be described as steadily considering an object or idea with attention. This could involve focusing intently on a natural object, such as a pebble or leaf, or contemplating a single word or phrase. This practice releases the mind from other thoughts and can help you gain different insights.
   

• What is Visualisation Meditation?
  Visualisation is a common form of meditation, and it can be a good starting point for beginners. A teacher guides you to create a picture or a sense of a scene in your mind. This journey into your imagination can help you get away from distracting thoughts.
  
  Learn more about the types of meditation here
   

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What about the History of Meditation?

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Meditation has a long and varied history, with a timeline that stretches back thousands of years. The first evidence of the practice was found in cave paintings, and it is believed that early man may have meditated by gazing into the flames of a fire.

 

At klarosity we respect the ancient traditions of meditation, but teach a more functional and pragmattic programme of meditation designed to help with the specific challenges of today's busy lives. 
 

• Meditation's Ancient Roots:
  Meditation is central to many ancient spiritual practices, believed to have originated in the Palaeolithic age. The earliest written record of meditation was discovered in the ancient Hindu scriptures, the Vedas, dating back to between 1500 and 1200 BC. Yogic meditation is central to the Hindu religion.
   

• The Global Tradition of Meditation:
  Around 500 BC, Buddhism was founded by Gautama Siddhartha, who found spiritual enlightenment while sitting under a Banyan tree. Meditation is at the heart of Buddhism. At roughly the same time, Lao Tzu recorded the practice of Taoism, which involves meditation to develop focused attention and mental tranquillity. The Christian tradition's contemplative practices began with the Desert Fathers around the second century AD, who used meditation to create a quiet sanctuary and connect to the soul.
   

• Meditation's Modern Era:
  In the 1960s, Transcendental Meditation (TM), which originated from ancient Hindu traditions, was popularised by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and embraced by The Beatles. Following this, Mindfulness, originating from Buddhism and Zen, has been growing in popularity since the 1970s. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a molecular biologist, developed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme, which is now widely used to help people cope with stress, pain, and illness. The practice of meditation has a long and diverse history, and is not tied to just one religion or tradition.

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What is the Science behind Meditation?

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For those who are sceptical about meditation, science is providing a bridge to understanding how this practice can be a powerful investment in yourself. A growing body of research confirms that meditation is evidence-based and can be quantified using modern tools like MRI and EEG scanners.

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• Rewiring the brain
  Research in neuroplasticity shows that the brain is not "hard-wired" and can change with experience. Practising a skill repeatedly, such as meditation, strengthens the physical structure of the brain. Meditation has been shown to strengthen the pre-frontal cortex, which is responsible for logical thinking and planning. It also strengthens the hippocampus, which is vital for memory and emotional regulation, and the tempo-parietal junction, which is associated with empathy and compassion. Meditation can also weaken the amygdala, the brain's stress and fear response centre, and the default mode network, which is responsible for mind chatter.
   

• Managing The Stress Response
  When we feel stressed, our nervous system activates the "fight-or-flight" response. Meditation helps to calm this sympathetic response and activate the parasympathetic system, which promotes "rest and relax". This has profound benefits, including a reduction in stress hormones like cortisol, which can be reduced by 30-40% through meditation. Dr Herbert Benson, a professor at Harvard's Medical School, identified the "relaxation response," which shows that meditation reduces heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension.
   

• Brainwaves and Benefits
  Meditation has been shown to change brainwave activity, with a slowing down of brain wave activity. In a meditative state, there is an increase in Alpha waves, which correspond to a state of relaxed wakefulness. Deep meditation is also associated with Theta waves, which are linked to creativity and feelings of bliss. Studies of long-term meditators, such as Tibetan monks, have shown high-frequency Gamma waves, which are associated with perception and higher mental activity. While new research suggests making fundamental brain changes may take thousands of hours of practice, beneficial behavioural changes can occur much faster. 
  
  Learn more about the benefits of meditation​
   

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Start Your Meditation Journey with klarosity

 

Meditation isn't just an ancient practice; it's a modern skill for modern challenges. It’s a way to sharpen your most valuable asset, your mind, and unlock new levels of clarity and calm. At klarosity, we make learning meditation accessible and practical for busy individuals like you. Our online classes provide clear guidance and actionable techniques without the jargon.​