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Analytical meditation is a contemplation technique that seems to have remained largely unexplored in the West. Unlike other forms of reflection, this meditation technique seems to rely more on using logic rather than manifestation or mindfulness. If you are curious to know more about this technique and its benefits, keep reading this article to learn about what is analytical meditation, its benefits, examples of analytical meditation techniques, how meditation and the analytical mind work, examples of analytical meditation exercises, and so much more.
According to Learningmind.com, an analytical mind is one that uses knowledge, facts, and information to come to a specific conclusion. These methodical and logical thinkers rarely jump to conclusions and only make a decision after looking through all the facts at hand.
An analytical mind always:
In the workforce, such a methodical mind can come in handy as it provides you with highly sought-after skills such as critical thinking, data and information analysis, research, problem-solving, and incredible communication skills. On the downside, however, such a meticulous mind can be prone to perfectionism, a know-it-all attitude, pessimism, overanalyzing, and incessantly scrutinizing and organizing thoughts.
In spite of these behavioral impediments, you do not need to fret because these issues can be solved through mental fortitude and conscious effort. If you are interested in developing an analytical mind or are looking to build up your mental strength against the downsides of such a brain, then analytical meditation maybe for you (2).
Read More: What Does Meditation Feel Like: An Absolute Stillness Or A Whirlwind Of Feelings?
This is a form of contemplation that uses reasoning and probing to help us gain insight into how the mind works, particularly the nature of the way the mind constructs our selves as an entity. In layman’s language, it is a meditation technique that requires the use of pondering thoughts that can influence you to develop a particular pattern of thinking or feeling.
In more than one occasion analytical meditation has been likened to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Cognitive behavioral therapy is a popular psychotherapeutic approach (talk therapy) that helps people learn how to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on behavior and emotions (4).
CBT is often used to help people deal with issues such as depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders and severe mental illness. In 2012, a review of 106 studies on the topic revealed that this form of therapy showed great and promising results in dealing with anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, bulimia, anger control problems, and general stress.
If you want to include this exercise in your daily life, here are some analytical meditation techniques or rather three courses of action to incorporate in your reflection to help you better evaluate your thoughts:
Running a never-ending rat race, shoving trauma further and further away, falling into self-harming thought patterns, living life that’s eclipsed by constant anxiety and fear – this is what an average person goes through every day. Not addressing it will only pull you deeper into a downward spiral. BetterMe: Meditation & Sleep app will help you gain a new perspective on life and help you regain that long-lost internal balance!
Before delving into this form of reflection, make sure that you are comfortable. Wear simple loose and breathable clothes. Once this is done, find a position in the house that most suits you. This could be on the balcony, in the living room with soothing music playing in the background, or in your bedroom with the door closed and curtains drawn to give you a sense of privacy and isolation.
From here, you may choose to either lie down on the floor, on your back, sit upright in a chair, with your legs uncrossed and hands resting on your thighs, or sit on the floor in a crossed-legged position with left hand resting palm up on your lap and right hand resting palm up in your left hand.
Breaking up this sensation into several questions helps reduce your fear of it, detach it from your emotions, and enables you to examine all these pieces and understand them better.
Make sure to write down the questions that you came up with and any answers that you may have found during this time. The next time you choose to do some reflection, you can further examine these issues and further break down your panic. Doing such analytical meditation exercises on other emotional factors such as generalized anxiety, fear, social anxiety, anger, obsessive-compulsion, etc., may help you understand, deal with and reduce their negative effects in your life.
The main difference is the ‘focus aspect.’ Here is what we mean: other forms of this exercise, eg chakra, gratitude, loving-kindness, mantra meditation, etc., require you to empty your mind, not hold on to any thoughts and establish a connection to the higher self. On the other hand, analytical meditation requires you to hold on to a thought or feeling and carefully examine it, determining the benefits and cons of thinking or feeling like that.
The only discernible similarity between this and other forms of this exercise is the use of mindfulness meditation. This helps you remain in the present, calming your mind to be rid of agitations and other distractions.
Read More: Meditation Styles: Which One Speaks To You Spiritually The Most?
Yes, we can. Analytical meditation Buddhism is often linked to the Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism. According to the monk, in this type of reflection, one needs to contemplate on the information accumulated by the mind from various sources and use reasoning to decode and decrypt it.
According to the Dalai Lama, this helps hone a positive state of mind and also alleviates thoughts and emotions that can lead to suffering and dissatisfaction. This then brings about inner change through systematic investigation and analysis thereby leading to optimum and proper use of human intelligence.
For example, if you realize that you are always quick to anger and would like to change, or such issues as war, skirmishes, or fights going on all over the world bother you a lot, take a minute and reflect on the devastating effects of anger (3). We have watched parts of the world burn, bleed and die due to the effects of anger.
In our personal lives, anger can lead to problems such as:
In relation to our relationships – whether familial, platonic, or romantic, – anger can slowly poison and break these valuable connections. With this is mind, the Dalai Lama suggests that people take a step back and constantly analyze this.
Instead of flying into a blind range every time something annoying happens, take a minute to remind yourself of all the destructive nature of anger. Remember that any actions you take or words you say do not only affect you but those around you as well.
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Applying analytical meditation in such an instance will:
Constantly doing this could even help you reduce your anger problems. In 2016, researchers conducted a study on 15 novice meditators and 12 practiced meditators to see how their bodies would react to anger. Both groups were asked to relive experiences that made them angry. For the practices meditators showed little to no physical responses to these memories and their blood pressure, breathing and heart rates remained relaxed.
In the novice meditators these thoughts rapidly raised their heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. However, after one session of reflection they became much calmer and their physical responses to the relieved experiences were more relaxed (1). While this study did not use analytical meditation for its experiment it shows that this practice can help reduce anger and thus, this technique could help you deal with these feelings too.
As we have seen above, those with a highly logical/methodical mindset can find themselves stuck in a look of perfectionism, over analyzation, pessimism, rationalization, a know-it-all attitude, and other such undesirable traits.
However, with meditation, such people can gain clarity and build the mental strength to fight against such behaviours. They are able to develop more positive states of mind that prevent dissatisfaction and suffering from overthinking.
Analytical meditation may not be as well known or researched as other forms of this practice but it seems to have made quite the impression on the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhists. If you are a follower of Buddha’s teachings and listen to the Dalai Lama, you could give it a go and see if it adds any value to your life. Remember, even if you are not a Buddhist or a monk, this technique could be helpful to you as it enables you to better understand your emotions and thoughts.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!