There are essentially two forms of meditation – insight and concentration. Mindfulness meditation is considered insight meditation as it brings awareness to the whole body and mind in the present moment. Mindfulness meditation brings attention to the whole experience (thoughts, smells, sight, tastes, body sensations, sounds) without judging or altering the experience in any way. The key is to simply observe, which is generally different from what we usually do. In our everyday life, we usually do not see life as it is – we see life through a screen of thoughts, concepts and memories and we mistake those mental object as reality itself. Subsequently, life flows by unnoticed.

Bob Stahl and Elisha Goldstein (2010), indicate that as you practice, “… you begin to discover the causes of your own suffering and discover a pathway to greater freedom” (p.8).

Concentration meditation focuses more on concepts, imagery and mantras.

Reference –

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook. Oakland, USA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

Click here to read some other frequently asked questions on mindfulness!