The 6 differences between formal meditation and informal meditation

These are the keys to distinguish between informal meditation and formal meditation.

Within the repertoire of meditation practice are various techniques, among which the categories of formal and informal meditation stand out.

The essential goal of both types of meditation is to live in full awareness of the present moment, without judgment; however, there are several characteristics that allow us to distinguish between them.

Therefore, this article will briefly explain the differences between formal and informal meditation. the differences between formal and informal meditation, giving examples of each.giving examples of each.

Main differences between formal and informal meditation.

These are the key aspects that allow us to distinguish between the two types of meditation.

1. Context in which they are performed

One of the main differences between formal and informal meditation is that the latter is a modality of meditation that is possible in any context of daily life, such as while the person is eating, so that he or she is fully focused on savoring each bite. The latter is a modality of meditation that can be done in any day-to-day context, such as while eating, so that the person can focus fully on savoring each bite.

Formal meditation, on the other hand, requires a quiet place where it can take place, without distractions that may interrupt the practice.

2. Time needed to practice

Another aspect of the differences between formal meditation and informal meditation is that informal meditation usually requires less time to be practiced..

For example, it can be done through an exercise as simple as putting all the senses focused on the act of eating an orange; focusing on each bite, in its color, the smell it gives off, its touch, etc..

Unlike it, Formal meditation requires a minimum amount of time to be able to effectively carry out the sequence of exercises of which this meditation modality is composed (e.g., 10, 15, 30 minutes, etc.). of which this modality of meditation is composed (e.g., 10, 15, 30 minutes, etc.).

3. Routine and constancy required for each of them.

To carry out formal meditation it is necessary to carry out a more structured routine plan and with a greater constancy than for formal meditation. and with a greater constancy than for informal meditation.

This is due to the fact that it is a modality of meditation composed of a greater number of exercises that it is advisable to perform in a sequential manner. On the other hand, as the duration of the formal practice is longer, it requires more time to be performed autonomously.

4. Structure for its realization

Here we find another of the differences between formal and informal meditation, since Formal meditation requires the realization of some previous exercises, such as body scanning or visualization in imagination, before practicing this type of meditation.The formal meditation requires the realization of some previous exercises, as the corporal scanner or the visualization in imagination, before putting in practice this type of meditation; whereas the informal meditation, is usually realized in the act, through the full attention in an activity of the daily life, without need to realize any previous exercise.

5. Posture required to put into practice

Another of the differences between the formal meditation and the informal one is the posture that must adopt the people who practice the formal meditation, when requiring a comfortable posture, It is preferable that it is done while sitting or, sometimes, lying down..

Informal meditation, on the other hand, does not require any specific posture or position on the part of those performing this meditation, since it is done while they are carrying out some activity of daily life (e.g., eating, walking, showering, etc.).

6. Degree of help

One difference between formal and informal meditation is the degree of help required to put them into practice. Formal meditation, as already mentioned, requires more help and is carried out in a more structured way with a series of previous exercises, where a professional is needed at the beginning to guide the process, either in person or in theThis can be done either in person or by means of an audio recording.

It should be noted that you can also use pages or specialized applications where there are recorded audios and videos that serve as a guide.

The help at the time of helping in the formal meditation, consists of that a professional will indicate what should be done during the process, such as indicating the part to focus on in the body scanner, then indicating when to change the body part to be focused on, etc.For example, indicating which part of the body scanner to focus on, moving on to indicating when to change the part of the body to focus on, and so on.

However, informal meditation, while also requiring practice and teaching from a professional, is a less expensive process to learn and master.

To better understand the differences between formal and informal meditation, we will briefly explain what each of them consists of, as well as some exercises that compose them.

Examples of formal meditation

Formal meditation is a very useful tool to know more deeply one's thoughts, as well as the sensations and emotions they arouse in us.

Next, we will see some exercises that are carried out when practicing formal meditation.

1. Body scan or body scan

This exercise consists of going through each part of one's own body, focusing on the sensations perceived in it, guided by the voice of a professional until it is mastered.All this being guided by the voice of a professional until it is mastered and can be performed autonomously.

For example, starting with one foot, going up through the sensations perceived by each of the parts of the leg, passing to the other leg until concluding, so as to continue through the abdomen, the chest, with the extremities and, finally, the head; continuing to become aware of the whole body. All this should be done with the eyes closed preferably; although, if it causes uneasiness to the person, it can be done with the eyes open.

2. Visualization or positive relaxing imagination

This is another exercise that, like the body scanner, aims to get the person into a state of relaxation in order to be able to carry out formal meditation.

Fundamentally, this exercise consists in that the person who carries out this practice imagines himself in a quiet place and that transmits calmness, like a deserted beach, in such a way that the person who carries out this practicesuch as a deserted beach so you can hear the waves of the sea calmly and focus on those sounds, sights, sensations aroused in the person, etc..

3. Keep the attention on a focus.

Once you have managed to enter a state of relaxation through exercises such as those mentioned above, you should choose a focus on which to focus your attention, a focus should be chosen on which to pay full attention, which should be maintained for a certain time (from seconds to a few minutes). (from seconds to a few minutes).

The most common focus on which mindfulness is usually maintained is breathing. This consists of being fully aware of how the air enters and leaves one's body, breathing in and out slowly and deeply.

Other very common focuses on which one can pay full attention when performing this exercise can be the external image of an object that is in front of the person or even an image recreated in one's own mind.

4. Working with thoughts

This exercise can be of help in those moments in which a person is immersed in negative ruminative thoughts, with the objective that he/she becomes aware of the negative thoughts.The objective is to make him or her aware of the way his or her mind wanders and, in this way, to understand that he or she is not the content of those thoughts and that those thoughts are the product of his or her imagination.

5. Mindfulness focused on emotions

This exercise is another clear example of the differences between formal and informal meditation, being a practice that gathers resources from some of the previously mentioned exercises of formal meditation; therefore, in order to master it, one must first learn to perform the others, to master it, you must first learn to perform the other exercises..

It is an exercise useful in those moments when a person is experiencing negative emotions and tries to avoid them without success. In this situation, the exercise consists of letting these emotions be present in one's consciousness from a point of view of acceptance..

To do this, after having done some exercise that induces a state of relaxation and mindfulness in the present moment, you should allow a thought that causes you to worry to be in your awareness, so that you can locate the sensations you experience as a consequence of that worry and then give a name to that state of worry (e.g., despair). From that moment on, you should let the experienced emotion be present, while the person concentrates on his or her breathing.

Examples of informal meditation

To carry out this type of meditation, the idea is to look for certain moments, in which the person considers that it will be more productive practice, and try to live them with a degree of full consciousness.

1. Exercises of "savoring".

Another clear example of the differences between formal and informal meditation is this exercise, whose task is based on carrying out routine activities while paying close attention to details. is based on carrying out routine activities while paying close attention to details (e.g., smells experienced, visual details of surroundings, sensations experienced at that precise moment, etc.). (e.g., smells experienced, visual details of what is around, sensations experienced at that precise moment, among others).

This exercise can be done when eating, so that you savor every bite as much as possible, as well as in any other routine activity (e.g., showering, cooking, etc.).

2. Focusing on the present moment

Practicing informal meditation can be done in a variety of ways, such as noticing and/or describing something specific that is in the environment around us as we practice it (for example, while you are in the waiting room of a doctor's office, you should look at five objects that are there and describe them mentally based on their physical characteristics and with respect to the use they have).

3. Mindful walking

An example of the practice of mindful walking would be doing the following: walking mindfully on your way to work, so that you are not focused on issues that you must resolve in your workday, but rather you are focusing your attention on each step you take, on your sensations and noticing what is going on around you as you walk..

The main objective of the informal practice is to remove the autopilot, while performing a series of routine activities, to be fully aware in the present moment.

In this way, the person can learn to discover which are the key situations for the appearance of the ruminative thoughts that generate discomfort and thus learn to tolerate the experience of that precise moment and focus on what is happening around them, so that over time these ruminative thoughts will cease to cause discomfort.