My Take on Meditation - non-mystic

Good morning forum,

Over the years I've become increasingly disheartened with the amount of 'woo' surrounding models and tools of the mind. Having struggled for many years with my own concerns, I tend to experiment on myself and weed out what's useful from the mess of information out there. Sometimes to my own detriment. But, it does yield some fruit. So, I'd like to share my recent 'take' on the essence of meditation.

Disclaimer: Of course, do what works for you, but I believe almost every model I've seen can be summed up in the outline below. And if it's outside of this scope, then it's most likely mystical and - well, each to their own, and if you need that, then all good, not here to change your mind, but personally, I think we can do better.

Here it is:

Meditation Types:

Type 1 - Narrow Focus Training:

Train your attention on a single point, whether it's your breath, a dot on the wall, or a mental image. Bring your focus back when distractions occur.

Type 2 - Broad Focus Training:

Focus on the present moment, encompassing all perceptions you currently experience. Be aware of your body and mind in relation to the surrounding environment. (AKA: Situational Awareness, body scanning, mindfulness, etc)

Type 3 - Transition Training:

Focus on one thing to the exclusion of all else (Type 1), and then broaden your attention to become situationally aware of all things in your current environment (Type 2). Move between the two modes intentionally to develop control. Move focus intentionally between points, and increase/decrease scope of attention.

Type 4 - Problem Solving & Creative Thinking:

Apply focus (Type 1) to delve into specific details about a challenge you're currently experiencing. Pull back to assess the broader context (Type 2). Oscillate (Type 3) between specific details and their particular contexts to discover insights & potential solutions.

Correlations to Thinking Styles

• Type 1 could be described as vertical thinking: specific and focused. Allowing exhaustive & complete analysis of one subject area or field. Detailed, Logical, & Systematic.
• Type 2 could be described as horizontal thinking: broad and expansive. Allowing exploration and integration of other Type 1 details. Creative, Flowing, & Expressive.
• Type 3 could be described as diagonal thinking: vectors crossing multiple fields, platforms, styles, or disciplines.
• Type 4 could be described as building knowledge outwards in valencies, combining information from multiple areas while maintaining focus on one specific concern.
• With practise and skill it's possible to hold multiple points of attention at once while also considering broader contexts for further exploration.

Key:

Type 1 - Red

Type 2 - Blue

Type 3 - Green

Type 4 - Multiple instances of the image to discover patterns/correlations/common demonimators,etc.

Hope someone finds this useful.

~ K