Meditation is a mental and/or spiritual practice. There are many schools of thought within meditation and many more types of meditation. The most well-known schools of thought are samatha (concentration meditation) and vipassana (insight meditation).

With samatha (concentration meditation) the attention is focused on a specific object or subject, called anchor. This can be a person, an object, sound, feeling, action or breathing. This form of meditation generally aims to calm the mind. It is an exercise in staying focused on your anchor and returning to it without judgement as soon as you stray. Samatha is often practiced before vipassana. This is also a form of meditation that you often see in the classes of Bridge of Life studio.

Vipassana (insight meditation) is all about self-observation. Your anchors here are actually the processes that unfold within yourself. The goal is to penetrate deeply into the mind and purify yourself of dukkha (all forms of suffering) by taking on the role of observer. Ultimately, a deep and pure insight into yourself and the nature of existence is sought. Vipassana is a beautiful form of meditation but can be experienced as difficult for beginning meditation students.