A reference for the language of the practice, from affectionate breathing to ahimsa. Words are doorways too, when we know what they point to. (Excerpt from Volume III Meditation & The Work of Living)
Affectionate Breathing: A breathing technique focused on cultivating loving-kindness and compassion, often used in meditation to enhance emotional well-being. Affirmations: Positive, present-tense statements used to shift mindset and beliefs, often incorporated into meditation practices for self-empowerment. Ahimsa: The principle of non-violence toward all living beings, a key tenet in many Indian religions. Alpha Waves: Brainwave frequencies (8 to 13 Hz) associated with a relaxed but alert state of mind. Anxiety: A state of heightened nervousness or worry, often accompanied by physical symptoms. Aromatherapy: The use of essential oils to support emotional balance and enhance relaxation. Autonomic Nervous System: The system responsible for involuntary bodily functions like heart rate and digestion. Autonomic Regulation: The practice of calming the nervous system through conscious techniques. Awareness: The knowledge or perception of a situation or state. Believe: To accept something as true, often without proof. Biofeedback: A technique using devices to monitor and control physiological functions. Body Scan Meditation: A practice of mentally scanning the body to release tension. Brain: The organ controlling the nervous system and cognitive functions. Breathwork: Conscious control of breathing to influence mental and physical states. Cause and Effect: The principle that actions lead to consequences. Chakras: Energy centers in the body from Eastern philosophy. Chronic Anxiety: Persistent excessive worry interfering with daily life. Chronic Stress: Long-term stress impacting health and well-being. Cleansing Breath: A deep breath used to release tension. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A therapy combining thought restructuring and mindfulness. Compassionate Mind Training: A practice to cultivate compassion toward self and others. Concentration: The ability to focus attention on a single object or idea. Conscience: An internal guide to right and wrong behavior. Conscientious: Showing careful attention and responsibility. Consciousness: Awareness of existence and experience. Contemplation: Sustained, deliberate thinking on a single subject, often held in a meditation posture. Distinct from meditation, which aims at relaxation and the release of tension. Contemplation works the mind rather than quieting it. Contemplative Practices: Practices like meditation and reflection that build awareness. Core Energetics: A body-centered therapy that works with physical tension, emotional expression, and energy to release long-held patterns. CPTSD: Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from prolonged trauma. Cycle of Awareness: The process of noticing and releasing thoughts. Deep Breathing: Breathing deeply into the abdomen to promote calm. Divine: Relating to or resembling a higher power. Down-Regulate: To reduce intensity in a biological system. Dreaming, The (Aboriginal): In traditional Australian Aboriginal spirituality, an ongoing dimension of reality connecting ancestors, land, animals, and people in one continuous field. Not a story about the past but a present condition. Life does not begin at birth and does not end at death within it. Dukkha: A Pali term usually translated as suffering, though closer to unsatisfactoriness. The Buddhist observation that ordinary experience contains a persistent friction, because everything we hold onto is in the process of changing. Ego: The sense of self or identity. Enlightenment: A state of deep understanding or awareness. Faith: Complete trust or confidence. Fear: An emotional response to perceived danger. Flow State: A state of deep focus and immersion. Focus: The ability to direct attention without distraction. Gratitude: The quality of being thankful. Grounding: Connecting physically or mentally to stabilize the system. Guided Meditation: Meditation led by a teacher or recording. Holistic: Considering the whole rather than parts. Ignorance: Lack of knowledge or awareness. Illusion: A false perception or belief. Illusory: Based on illusion; not real. Japa: Repetition of a mantra. Karma: Cause and effect through actions and behavior. Knowledge: Information and understanding gained through experience. Mantra: A repeated word or phrase to focus the mind. Materialism: The belief that only physical matter exists. Meditation: A practice of focusing attention to achieve clarity and calm. Mental Bias: A systematic distortion in how the mind processes information. Biases are not errors of intelligence but shortcuts that were useful under other conditions, and they operate below awareness unless deliberately examined. Metaphysical: Relating to the nature of reality beyond the physical. Mind: The system of thinking, perception, and awareness. Mindfulness: Being present without judgment. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP): A method of reshaping thought and behavior patterns through language, visualization, and modeling, considered promising by practitioners though not well supported by clinical research. Neuroscience: Study of the nervous system. Nidrā: A state of deep conscious relaxation. Non-Dualism: The position that the separation we perceive between things is not fundamental. Self and world, observer and observed, are one process appearing as many, and the division is produced by the mind rather than found in reality. Non-Harm: The principle of not causing harm. Objective: Based on facts, not feelings. Observer: The awareness that notices thoughts without becoming them. Panpsychism: The theory that consciousness exists in all things. Parasympathetic: The system responsible for rest and digestion. Physical Realm: The tangible world. Prāṇa: Life force energy in yogic traditions. Reactivity: Automatic emotional responses. Relaxation: A state of reduced tension. Relaxation Response: A physical state of deep rest. Renounce: To give up or abandon something. Sacred: Something held in deep reverence. Samādhi: A state of deep meditative absorption in which the sense of a separate observer thins or disappears. Sangha: In Buddhism, the community of practitioners. One of the three refuges alongside the Buddha and the Dharma, and a recognition that the work is not done alone. Satsang: A gathering for spiritual teaching and reflection, usually small and centered on a teacher. Literally, association with truth. Śavāsana: A resting pose in yoga. Self-Awareness: Understanding one's thoughts and behaviors. Self-Esteem: Confidence and self-respect. Solipsism: The idea that only one's mind is certain to exist. Spacetime: The four-dimensional structure of reality. Spiritual: Relating to inner life and human development. Stress: The body's response to challenges. Subjective: Based on personal perspective. Suffering: The experience of prolonged distress. Sūtra: Short, tightly written teachings or aphorisms that condense complex spiritual or philosophical ideas into memorable form. Sympathetic Nervous System: The system activating fight-or-flight. Tao Te Ching: A foundational Taoist text attributed to Lao Tzu, roughly twenty-five hundred years old, written in short verses. It describes a natural order that cannot be named without immediately becoming something else, and it argues for yielding, restraint, and non-interference. Tapping: Also called EFT, Emotional Freedom Techniques. A practice of tapping specific points on the body while naming a distressing thought or feeling. Practitioners report reduced emotional intensity. The clinical evidence is mixed. The One Consciousness: The idea of a shared universal awareness. The Universe: All matter and space. A conscious phenomenon that is 99.9% unexplained by humanity. Theta Waves: Brainwaves linked to deep relaxation. Thought Loop: A self-reinforcing cycle in which a thought produces a feeling, the feeling produces another thought, and the pattern sustains itself without new input from the outside. Transcendental Meditation (TM): A mantra-based meditation technique. Transient: Temporary or short-lived. True Reality: The actual state of things without distortion. Truth: That which is real or accurate. Universal Truth: A truth accepted across contexts. Vagus Nerve: A nerve regulating relaxation and bodily functions. Visualization: Imagining scenes to influence mental state. Zazen: Seated meditation in Zen Buddhism.