Sustained attention

Sustained attention involves maintaining constant vigilance toward an object, while selective attention refers to the ability to focus on specific stimuli. Typically, attention operates subconsciously, with the brain’s reticular activating system (RAS) alerting the conscious mind to novel or potentially significant stimuli. However, habituation occurs when the RAS no longer finds an object interesting, leading to a wandering mind seeking new stimuli.

In meditation, one can train to stabilize attention and overcome habituation. By developing single-pointed attention, boredom is revealed to be a result of weak sustained attention rather than inherent qualities of an object. Meditation helps practitioners maintain unwavering attention and experience states of deep concentration and absorption.

Research has shown that regular meditation practice reduces habituation, allowing individuals to sustain attention for longer periods. By strengthening sustained attentional abilities, meditation cultivates consistent focus and diminishes the tendency for attention to waver.

Meditate as a passive visualization technique

Meditation is a practice that has been used for centuries to promote mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Recently, researchers have begun to investigate the specific benefits of meditation on the brain and body. One potential benefit of meditation is as a passive visualization technique.

Visualization is a technique that involves creating a mental image of a desired outcome. Passive visualization involves simply holding the desired outcome in mind, rather than actively trying to create the image. Some researchers suggest that passive visualization may be particularly effective for improving physical performance.

A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research examined the effects of passive visualization on muscular strength. The researchers found that participants who engaged in passive visualization exercises had significantly greater improvements in strength compared to those who did not. Another study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences found that passive visualization improved the accuracy of basketball free throw shooting.

In addition to physical performance, passive visualization may also be beneficial for mental and emotional wellbeing. A study published in the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology found that breast cancer survivors who engaged in passive visualization exercises experienced a reduction in anxiety and depression.

Inner silence through meditation

Meditation can be a powerful tool to cultivate inner silence. By sitting in stillness and focusing on the present moment, we can begin to quiet the mind and let go of the constant stream of thoughts and distractions that often dominate our consciousness. As we continue to practice meditation, we develop a greater awareness of our thoughts and emotions, and we learn to observe them without judgment or attachment. This process of self-awareness can lead to a deeper sense of inner peace and stillness, even amidst the chaos of everyday life. With regular meditation practice, we can cultivate a sense of inner silence that extends beyond the moments we spend on the cushion, and becomes a natural part of our daily experience.

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Mindfullness

Jon Kabat-Zinn, the man, considered the godfather of modern mindfulness was a graduate student from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an anti-Vietnam-war protester, agitating alongside the Black Panthers and the French playwright Jean Genet.

The once “very macho” anti-war activist who raged against MIT’s role in nuclear weapons research is the catalyst behind the west’s mushrooming interest in mindfulness meditation, having reimagined Buddhist contemplation practices for a secular age almost 40 years ago.

Kabat-Zinn has defined mindfulness meditation as “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally”. By focusing on the breath, the idea is to cultivate attention on the body and mind as it is moment to moment, and so help with pain, both physical and emotional.

“It often results in apprehending the constantly changing nature of sensations, even highly unpleasant ones, and thus their impermanence,” he says. “It also gives rise to the direct experience that ‘the pain is not me’.”