A further example is the classification of meditation. A common categorization is to divide meditation into focused attention (FA) and open monitoring (OM) [11, 56]. Generally, beginners will be introduced and establish a practice using FA techniques, where there is a particular object to focus attention on (e.g., the breath), whereas OM meditation does not require an object of focus, but an aware and nonreactive acknowledgment of moment to moment awareness. In the case of FA there is an effortful commitment to sustain attention that helps to still the active mind. Once a student has established this in their practice they are then better able to practice OM. Lutz et al. describe a development in practice where “the ‘effortful’ selection or ‘grasping’ of an object as primary focus is generally replaced by the ‘effortless’ sustaining of an awareness without explicit selection” [11]. Differences have been found between FA and OM practices; for example, OM practitioners have been shown to have superior responses to unexpected stimuli compared to FA practitioners, reflecting a more distributed attentional focus.
E. R. Valentine and P. L. Sweet, “Meditation and attention: a
comparison of the effects of concentrative and mindfulness
meditation on sustained attention,” Mental Health, Religion &
Culture, vol. 2, pp. 59–70, 1999.