The quality and nature of a meditation session varies every time. Depending on the day and my readiness for meditation, I use different meditation techniques to calm my mind and prepare for deeper meditation. This morning, my mind was very inattentive. I was very tired, and my mind was still racing with thoughts about my dreams. Starting meditation directly with techniques such as breath counting or visualizations would not avail me--I'd lose focus almost immediately. Therefore, I spent the first 10 minutes or so of mediation doing a mental concentration meditation. This meditation helps focus the mind, but it will not lead to any more profound states of meditation. It is thus suited only as a tool to help get control of your mind prior to serious meditation. The graphs below actually reveal the differences between the two states. To the right of the vertical line is brain activity from the concentration exercises, while to the right of the line is brain activity from more traditional contemplation.
A noticeable drop in Beta activity. Higher variance in the second half.
A noticeable drop in Gamma activity to the point of near complete absence of Gamma activity.
This figure shows all the brain wave types. Alpha shows the least significant drop in activity.
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