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IMNSHO, it's 'whatever you want it to be'. It causes specific measurable changes to brain function and anatomy.
> It causes specific measurable changes to brain function and anatomy. So does learning The Knowledge.
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To the best of my understanding, meditation is a mental activity. You sit still and... do what, exactly? Think of nothing? How does one think of nothing? Is meditation another word for daydreaming? How can we be sure that any two people are "meditating" in the same way, since it's an unobservable mental state? And are proponents of meditation simply saying that sitting still, being calm, and focusing one's attention…
Ah, like you say, there are many different techniques. The type I'm describing in the OP is Vipassana[1], which is a systematic scan of physical sensations, part by part throughout the body. Not 'thinking of nothing', nor 'daydreaming'. Of course, some other people do use those sorts of techniques, so confusion abounds. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipassanā
I like the analogy as a hook and lead in but a bit disappointed to find the actual content a bit lacking, but perhaps that's the point? Would be helpful to include a brief summary of the three different practises of Vipassana or insight medidation as a whole just to provide an introduction.
Ah sorry tabrischen! The idea was Hack Reactor tasked us with presenting a topic of our choosing, but we were only given 5 minutes to do so. So I'll try to go into more details for you! The Vipassana tradition I've been taught in includes three techniques: * Concentration meditation, called Anapana, where you observe your breath. Just watching the rhythm in and out. Trying not to miss a single breath. It helps to foc…