Meditation can profoundly shift our experience of self and reality, opening us to a wider field of awareness — one that is spacious, clear, and grounded in the present moment. The deeper aspects of the path can offer liberating insights, and below are four foundational categories of practice, each offering a unique gateway into deeper presence:

Vipassana (Insight Meditation): Vipassana is an open-monitoring practice that cultivates deep insight into the nature of mind, self, and reality. The term Vipassana means "clear seeing" or "insight." By observing thoughts, sensations, and emotions without judgment or attachment, practitioners begin to perceive the impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and selfless nature of all phenomena — known as the Three Marks of Existence: Anicca (impermanence), Dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness) & Anatta (not-self).

Samatha (Calm Abiding): Samatha is a concentration-based practice that gently trains the mind to rest in the present moment. By focusing on a single object, often the breath, it cultivates calm, clarity, and sustained attention. Over time, this practice purifies the mind, reduces mental agitation, and builds a stable foundation for deeper meditative absorption (samadhi).

The Brahmavihāras (Four Sublime States): Through consistent practice, the Brahmavihāras nurture open-hearted awareness, emotional resilience, and a deeper connection to others. They also support the development of jhānic states, deep meditative absorptions. These heart-based practices cultivate qualities of Metta (loving-kindness), Karuna (compassion), Mudita (sympathetic Joy) & Upekkha (equanimity).

Emptiness & Non-Dual Awareness: Non-dual practices such as Dzogchen from the Tibetan tradition, point directly to the nature of mind and reality beyond concepts, stories, or egoic identity.