{"id":298,"date":"2023-11-18T15:37:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-18T10:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/?p=298"},"modified":"2025-09-29T16:16:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T10:46:13","slug":"meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ever been unable to sleep because you can\u2019t switch off that stream of thoughts that seem to flow incessantly, mercilessly through your head?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When your mental noise distracts you from the task at hand, makes you forget why you walked into a room or keeps you awake at night, you\u2019re a victim of what is known in the East as \u201cthe monkey mind\u201d. It is this thought stream that, according to Eastern tradition, is the source of much of our modern day stress and mental dysfunction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, what can you do about it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meditation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the West,&nbsp;meditation&nbsp;has become a woolly term under which many different methods have found a home. Mindfulness is the latest, and certainly the most popular, addition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scientifically speaking, all approaches to meditation \u2013 be they relaxation, mindfulness, visualisation, mantras or otherwise \u2013 are associated with measurable but non-specific beneficial effects. So too are all stress management-style interventions even if they are not labelled as \u201cmeditation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, does&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/role-of-meditation-mental-health-beyond-spirituality\/\">meditation have a specific<\/a>&nbsp;effect or is it just another way to relax and de-stress? These are the questions that the scientific community continues to struggle with. Importantly, we can only answer this question if we have a clear understanding of what meditation is (or isn\u2019t).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our research shows that by defining meditation as \u201cmental silence\u201d, which is an evolution of the mindfulness concept, we can effectively answer the key scientific questions about meditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mindfulness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mindfulness essentially involves&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2898899\/\">the passive observation<\/a>&nbsp;of internal and external stimuli without mental reaction. It is most explicitly, but not exclusively, laid out in Buddhist meditation texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190507124513im_\/https:\/\/62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com\/files\/37540\/width237\/bsbnwdgf-1386811312.jpg\" alt=\"Buddha Meditation Statue\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Buddhist connection is one reason Mindfulness is so popular.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mindfulness has become immensely popular for several reasons: its connection with Buddhism, which is very much in fashion; its secular style; and its suitability&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nice.org.uk\/nicemedia\/live\/12329\/45888\/45888.pdf\">as an adjunct<\/a>&nbsp;to many other mental health counselling strategies such as cognitive behavioural therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no doubting that mindfulness has a useful role to play in preserving health and promoting wellness. But despite its hundreds of clinical trials, there is no consistent evidence of an effect specific to mindfulness itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, the vast&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21534932\">majority of evidence<\/a>&nbsp;concerning mindfulness relates to clinical trials that do not control for placebo effects. This is something relatively few researchers seem to want to talk about, either because it\u2019s too difficult or too politically incorrect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mental silence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps surprisingly, the oldest known definition of meditation predates both Buddhism and mindfulness by thousands of years. In the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/hinduism.about.com\/library\/weekly\/extra\/bl-mahabharata-epilogue.htm\">ancient Indian Mahabharata<\/a>, the narrator states that a meditator is \u201c\u2026 like a log, he does not think\u201d. In other words, the earliest definitions describe the key defining feature of meditation as an experience of \u201cmental silence\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many other explicit examples of this definition can be found in Eastern literature from virtually every historical period. Lao Tzu, for example, urged us to \u201cEmpty the mind of all thoughts\u201d in the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tao_Te_Ching\">Tao Te Ching<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet Western definitions of meditation have consistently failed to acknowledge its significance. Perhaps this is because of the predominance of the Cartesian dictum \u201c<em>cogito ergo sum<\/em>\u201d (I think therefore I am) that has come to characterise not only Western philosophy but the psyche as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This might explain why for most people in the West, including the academics and researchers on whom we rely to generate our scientific knowledge, mental silence represents both an alien concept and an illogical experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet the results of more than a dozen years of scientific research here in Australia tells us that mental silence-orientated approaches to meditation are in fact both achievable and associated with specific benefits above and beyond those seen in non-mental silence approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take, for instance, my 2011&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindawi.com\/journals\/ecam\/2011\/960583\/\">Meditation for Work Stress Study<\/a>, involving 178 full-time Australian workers; it\u2019s one of the most thoroughly designed randomised controlled trials of meditation in the scientific literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190507124513im_\/https:\/\/62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com\/files\/37541\/width754\/7xkg3yvq-1386811828.jpg\" alt=\"Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mental silence is responsible for many of the benefits of meditation. \u2013&nbsp;Carnie Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups: either&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/unconditioned-brain-and-truth\/\">mental silence<\/a>&nbsp;meditation, a relaxation-orientated intervention (non-mental silence) or a no-treatment control group. Their stress, depressive feelings and anxiety levels were measured using scientifically validated measures before and after the eight-week program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While people in both intervention groups improved, those in the mental silence group manifested significantly greater improvements than the relaxation group and the no-treatment group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/11828038\">randomised controlled trial<\/a>&nbsp;of meditation for asthma sufferers mirrored these findings by comparing mental silence-orientated meditation to a stress management programme promoted by the state department of health. Not only were the psychological improvements significantly greater in the meditation group but there was also a reduction in the irritability of the airways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although further work needs to be done to identify the mechanisms, this change is likely the result of the modulation of chronic inflammation pathways, presumably through altered signalling from the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/22611427\">larger surveys<\/a>, as well as smaller trials, also demonstrate promising outcomes \u2013 all pointing toward the idea that mental silence is the key defining feature of meditation, responsible for effects specific to meditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brain studies report some interesting findings. First, the experience is&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/11524157\">associated with<\/a>&nbsp;a characteristic pattern of brain electrical activity \u2013 increased alpha-theta activity at the front and top of the brain along the midline. This is associated with reduced anxiety and improved attentional focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was also a strong correlation between these objectively measured electrical changes and the subjective experience of the quality of the meditation experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Second, meditators exhibit&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/16019582\">reduced stress responses<\/a>&nbsp;in the brain compared with non-meditators. This implies that the benefits are occurring at a neurophysiological level rather than being just a suppression of emotion or of its peripheral features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190507124513im_\/https:\/\/62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com\/files\/37544\/width237\/vzwh3p63-1386816352.jpg\" alt=\"Men Practicing Meditation\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The effects of meditation seem to be beyond the ability to suppress emotional responses.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meditators, therefore, seem to be fundamentally modifying the way they generate negative emotions in response to the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reduced negative emotional reactions to stimuli should logically lead to reduced stress and an improved sense of well-being. But until studies where the brain changes are simultaneously measured alongside clinical changes, we can\u2019t definitively state that these brain changes are the cause of the specific effects uncovered in our clinical studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mind-emptiness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So how does this all fit together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mental silence paradigm is both complementary to and a progression of the mindfulness concept. While mindfulness involves the passive observation of stimuli with the aim of reducing mental reactions, mental silence involves progressing this experience too and attaining, a state of no-mental-content-at-all, while remaining in full control of one\u2019s faculties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The original intention of mindfulness is as a method to facilitate the attainment of mental silence rather than being an end in itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This shift in our understanding resolves many of the paradoxes that were hitherto insoluble \u2013 while at the same time offering consumers and clinicians a practically useful way to understand and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/what-is-meditation\/\">benefit from meditation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About the author:&nbsp;<\/strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190507124513\/http:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/ramesh-manocha-111269\">Ramesh Manocha<\/a>, Senior Lecturer, CADE Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, Sydney Medical School-Northern,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190507124513\/http:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-sydney\">University of Sydney<\/a>.&nbsp;He is the author of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190507124513\/http:\/\/www.hachette.com.au\/books\/9780733628771\/\">Silence Your Mind<\/a>, published by Hachette.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This article was originally published on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190507124513\/http:\/\/theconversation.com\/\">The Conversation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190507124513\/https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/author\/nadayogaschoolblog\/\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever been unable to sleep because you can\u2019t switch off that stream of thoughts that seem to flow incessantly, mercilessly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness - YOGMAY<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness - YOGMAY\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ever been unable to sleep because you can\u2019t switch off that stream of thoughts that seem to flow incessantly, mercilessly [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"YOGMAY\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nadyoga.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-18T10:07:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-29T10:46:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Gemini_Generated_Image_crd4xmcrd4xmcrd4.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"740\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nada Yoga School\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@nadayogaschool\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@nadayogaschool\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nada Yoga School\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nada Yoga School\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0470b8c603bf9bbfb226d514702a430e\"},\"headline\":\"Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-18T10:07:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-29T10:46:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1207,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/Gemini_Generated_Image_crd4xmcrd4xmcrd4.png\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/\",\"name\":\"Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness - YOGMAY\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/Gemini_Generated_Image_crd4xmcrd4xmcrd4.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-18T10:07:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-29T10:46:13+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/Gemini_Generated_Image_crd4xmcrd4xmcrd4.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/Gemini_Generated_Image_crd4xmcrd4xmcrd4.png\",\"width\":740,\"height\":400},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"YOGMAY - A Blog by Nada Yoga School\",\"description\":\"A blog by Nada Yoga School\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Nada Yoga School\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/nada-yoga-school-logo.png.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/nada-yoga-school-logo.png.webp\",\"width\":465,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"Nada Yoga School\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/nadyoga.org\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/nadayogaschool\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/nadayogaschool\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0470b8c603bf9bbfb226d514702a430e\",\"name\":\"Nada Yoga School\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/litespeed\\\/avatar\\\/3c3407f6ad435f43440b7f77ed752f47.jpg?ver=1780465507\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/litespeed\\\/avatar\\\/3c3407f6ad435f43440b7f77ed752f47.jpg?ver=1780465507\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/litespeed\\\/avatar\\\/3c3407f6ad435f43440b7f77ed752f47.jpg?ver=1780465507\",\"caption\":\"Nada Yoga School\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nadyoga.org\\\/blog\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/nadayogaschool\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nadyoga.org\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/nadayogaschool\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness - YOGMAY","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness - YOGMAY","og_description":"Ever been unable to sleep because you can\u2019t switch off that stream of thoughts that seem to flow incessantly, mercilessly [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/","og_site_name":"YOGMAY","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nadyoga.org","article_published_time":"2023-11-18T10:07:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-29T10:46:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":740,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Gemini_Generated_Image_crd4xmcrd4xmcrd4.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Nada Yoga School","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@nadayogaschool","twitter_site":"@nadayogaschool","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nada Yoga School","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/"},"author":{"name":"Nada Yoga School","@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0470b8c603bf9bbfb226d514702a430e"},"headline":"Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness","datePublished":"2023-11-18T10:07:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-29T10:46:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/"},"wordCount":1207,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Gemini_Generated_Image_crd4xmcrd4xmcrd4.png","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/","url":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/","name":"Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness - YOGMAY","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Gemini_Generated_Image_crd4xmcrd4xmcrd4.png","datePublished":"2023-11-18T10:07:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-29T10:46:13+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Gemini_Generated_Image_crd4xmcrd4xmcrd4.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Gemini_Generated_Image_crd4xmcrd4xmcrd4.png","width":740,"height":400},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/meditation-mindfulness-mind-emptiness\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/","name":"YOGMAY - A Blog by Nada Yoga School","description":"A blog by Nada Yoga School","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/#organization","name":"Nada Yoga School","url":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/nada-yoga-school-logo.png.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/nada-yoga-school-logo.png.webp","width":465,"height":100,"caption":"Nada Yoga School"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nadyoga.org","https:\/\/x.com\/nadayogaschool","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nadayogaschool"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0470b8c603bf9bbfb226d514702a430e","name":"Nada Yoga School","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/3c3407f6ad435f43440b7f77ed752f47.jpg?ver=1780465507","url":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/3c3407f6ad435f43440b7f77ed752f47.jpg?ver=1780465507","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/3c3407f6ad435f43440b7f77ed752f47.jpg?ver=1780465507","caption":"Nada Yoga School"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/nadyoga.org\/blog","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nadayogaschool"],"url":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/author\/nadayogaschool\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Gemini_Generated_Image_crd4xmcrd4xmcrd4.png","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":330,"href":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions\/330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nadyoga.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}