FAQ
Whats the difference between Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness is a form of meditation. “Meditation” is a term that broadly clusters together a wide range of practices under the one banner, which is convenient from a language perspective, but can lead to confusion when understanding particulars. It’s a little like having a friend tell you she's into “fitness.” Does this mean jogging, sprinting, hiking, free weights, cross fit, pilates, Zumba, boot camps, aerobics, or cage fighting?
Meditators might seek to cultivate an emotional state such as love or compassion, develop a specific mode of thinking or mental state, relax the body, deal with negative experiences and reduce stress, or achieve a form of spiritual enlightenment, growth, insight and awakening. In terms of technique, though, mindfulness is much more specific. (Meditation = broad / mindfulness = specific.) That’s the first major difference.
The second major difference has to do with what might be called “name baggage.” Meditation is often associated with religious or spiritual groups. Mindfulness is distinctly secular (at least, as it is known in the West). Because it is specific and secular, mindfulness has naturally been of greater appeal to the business and scientific communities than many other types of meditation practices.
Mindfulness is a form of meditation. “Meditation” is a term that broadly clusters together a wide range of practices under the one banner, which is convenient from a language perspective, but can lead to confusion when understanding particulars. It’s a little like having a friend tell you she's into “fitness.” Does this mean jogging, sprinting, hiking, free weights, cross fit, pilates, Zumba, boot camps, aerobics, or cage fighting?
Meditators might seek to cultivate an emotional state such as love or compassion, develop a specific mode of thinking or mental state, relax the body, deal with negative experiences and reduce stress, or achieve a form of spiritual enlightenment, growth, insight and awakening. In terms of technique, though, mindfulness is much more specific. (Meditation = broad / mindfulness = specific.) That’s the first major difference.
The second major difference has to do with what might be called “name baggage.” Meditation is often associated with religious or spiritual groups. Mindfulness is distinctly secular (at least, as it is known in the West). Because it is specific and secular, mindfulness has naturally been of greater appeal to the business and scientific communities than many other types of meditation practices.
