How to Know if Zen Meditation Is Right for You
our Review Board (BUTTON) Print Person practicing Zen meditation Person practicing Zen meditation Martin Puddy / Corbis
 Zen meditation, also known as ZaZen, is a meditation technique rooted in Buddhist psychology.
 The goal of Zen meditation is to regulate attention. It’
position—or sit with their legs crossed—during Zen meditation and focus their attention inward. While some practitioners
What Happens During Zen Meditation
 Zen meditation is considered an “open-monitoring meditation
 Zen meditation is similar to mindfulness in that it's
 mindfulness focuses on a specific object, and Zen meditation involves a general awareness.
 which involves the recitation of a mantra, Zen meditation involves increased awareness of the ongoing physical and self
 Individuals who practice Zen meditation attempt to expand their attentional scope to incorporate the
 Zen meditation often involves keeping the eyes semi-open,
of meditation that encourage closing the eyes. During Zen meditation, practitioners also dismiss any thoughts that pop into
 It’s likely that Zen meditation offers many of the same benefits as other types
 So, it’s possible that Zen meditation might offer some additional benefits beyond those seen in
body. There has been some particular interest in Zen meditation practice and how it affects the brain. In
who had more than three years of daily practice in Zen meditation with 12 novices who had never practiced meditation.
 The scans revealed that Zen training led to activity in a set of brain regions
 The volunteers who regularly practiced Zen meditation also were able to return to their breathing much
’s also been a lot of curiosity about whether Zen meditation can allow practitioners to better access their unconscious minds
 A 2012 study examined whether Zen meditation helped practitioners better access their unconscious minds.
 All of the participants were experienced Zen meditators. One group was asked to meditate for 20
 The study authors report Zen meditation might be able to provide better insight into what
 If Zen meditation allows you to better understand how you’re
 Zen meditation is often used in drug abuse treatment programs in
in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine found that Zen meditation affects brain-heart interactions.
 According to the authors, Zen practitioners devote their practice to disclosing the spiritual heart inside
. They state, “Through years of Zen meditation practice, practitioners have their brain functions totally reformed
 Researchers have found that 10-minute Zen meditation sessions have shown significant improvement in autonomic nervous system
 Zen meditation also improves mood; and a better mood can
to use again. The researchers also found that Zen meditation “enhances the hypothalamus and frontal-lobe
body and mind” after a 10-minute Zen meditation session. Participants also reported scalp tingling, whole
 Researchers who use Zen meditation as a treatment say it impacts regions of the
 There are many ways to learn more about Zen meditation including audio programs, online videos, online learning
to the subject. You also might find a Zen meditation class so you can learn from an instructor.
 Zen meditation retreats are especially popular with tourists in China who
ways to find a program that will help you learn Zen meditation techniques.
Is Zen Meditation Right for You?
is best suited for you. Research shows that Zen meditation doesn’t always turn out to be a
(mindfulness) and Mantra meditation as higher than Zen and Qigong Visualization.
it over a long time. If you try Zen meditation and it isn’t right for you,
, Mueller CJ, Hofmann MJ. Zen meditation     neutralizes emotional evaluation, but not implicit affective     processing
thinking": neural     correlates of conceptual processing during Zen meditation. PLoS     One. 2008;3(9
, Dijksterhuis A.     Zen meditation and access to information in the     unconscious. Conscious
-nervous-system functioning of drug abusers treated by Zen     meditation. J Tradit Complement Med. 2018;9
 Comparing individual preferences for four meditation     techniques: Zen, Vipassana (mindfulness), Qigong, and