Module 1
- Lesson 1
The Four Styles of Meditation Practice
Duration
22 min
Level
Foundation
Includes
2 Activities · 1 Quiz
In this lesson
Introduction
Why Meditation Styles Matter
It’s strange how many people ask, “Do you meditate?” Yet very few ask what style you practice? It’s kind of like asking, “Do you sport?” without ever asking, “What sport do you play?” The implication of “Do you meditate?” is that all forms of meditation are basically the same.
This has the unfortunate consequence of not encouraging people to investigate the different styles of meditation and which one would be the best for who they are and what they want to get from meditation.
Just as different sports train the body in different ways, different meditation styles train for different benefits.
In this lesson, you will learn a science-based way of classifying meditation styles and how to choose the right practice for your goals.
Learning Goals
What You Will Learn
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- Explain why meditation cannot be treated as a single practice
- Describe how most meditation practices fall into one of four styles
- Understand how attention, emotion, and awareness differ across styles
- If you’re teaching: use a clear framework to coach students more effectively
SECTION 1
Why Meditation Needs Categories
BIG IDEA
Meditation needs categories so we can understand the goal of our chosen practice, recognize progress toward it, and determine whether we may want to try another practice with a different goal.
Early meditation research often treated meditation as a single activity. It’s like calling all sports by the same name. The differences between basketball and badminton mirror the vast range of meditative practices, from laser-focused concentration to open, effortless awareness. Treating meditation as a single activity leads to confusing, inconsistent results because different practices use attention and awareness in very different ways.
To study meditation — and teach it well — we need a clear map, or taxonomy, of meditation categories. A taxonomy gives teachers and scientists a shared language for describing what a meditator is actually doing with the mind.
Why This Matters for Meditators
When you struggle with your meditation practice, it may be because the practice does not match your intention.
A clear taxonomy may help explain why a practice feels challenging or effective.
SECTION 2
The IMBR Meditation Taxonomy
We have found that almost all meditation practices fit in a typology of four styles and for levels:
Focused Awareness
Open Monitoring
Open Heart
Open Presence
You can see typical practices for each of these styles at the bottom of the pyramid.
SECTION 3
A Brief Overview of the Four Meditation Styles
The four meditation styles that make up the IMBR pyramid are distinctly different from one another in both their practice patterns and brain states.
Focused Awareness
- Attention is directed to a single object (breath, mantra, sound)
- Distractions are gently redirected
- Trains stability and concentration
Open Monitoring
- Attention is open and receptive
- Thoughts, sensations, and emotions are observed as they arise, without preferring one over another
- Focus moves flexibly to each experience as it arises
- Trains awareness and flexibility
Interactive Activity
Match the Instruction to the Style
Drag each meditation instruction to the style it belongs to. When you’re ready, press Check Answers.
Focused Awareness
Open Monitoring
Open Heart
- Attention is directed toward positive qualities such as kindness, compassion, or gratitude
- Feelings may be intentionally generated, strengthened, and sustained
- Trains emotional balance, empathy, and connection
Open Presence
- Maintains a panoramic, non-judgmental awareness of the present moment without focusing on a single anchor
- The mind rests in a state of open, receptive, and spacious awareness (in Transcendental Meditation (TM), it settles naturally through the relaxed internal repetition of a mantra)
- The technique may fade away
- Awareness itself becomes primary
- Sensations, thoughts, and feelings may arise in the background, but are not engaged or emphasized
- Trains effortless awareness, openness, and non-reactivity
Section 4
We Need All Four Styles
Each style trains a different mental skill. Knowing the difference helps you choose on purpose. There is a unifying theme across the styles — all of them train the ability to observe and respond to situations rather than react. They all help you make a fundamental shift from “I am my thoughts and emotions” to “thoughts and emotions are appearing in awareness.” This shift is essential for reducing suffering, increasing equanimity, and a deepening your connection with life.
Practicing all four styles cultivates mental and emotional balance and provides the benefits of diversity. Diversity helps keep your practice from getting stuck in a rut, but don’t switch at the first whiff of boredom. Like learning to play an instrument, patient practice is essential.
- Need more stable attention? Try Focused Awareness practices.
- Need more practice releasing from stressful experiences? Try Open Monitoring/Mindfulness practices.
- Need more practice opening your heart and softening to the world? Try Open Heart practices.
- Need more “human being” as opposed to more “human doing”? Try Open Presence practices.
Meditation improves when:
- The style of the meditation practice matches your goal or needs
- You develop clarity and choice around your meditation practice
- You have a clear idea of what progress looks like in your practice
A New Taxonomy for Meditation Brainwave Research
Up Next · Lesson 2
The Four Levels of Meditation Practice