In order to improve one’s attention through mindfulness techniques, it can be helpful to understand it. As a response to stimuli, the first step is to orient one self to it and then engage with it (1).

There are two types. The first one is a controlled, goal-oriented form that is also called top-down. It allows us to have executive control over our thoughts (1) and is instrumental in learning. The second type is driven by stimuli and instinct, and is also called bottom-up processing (1). There is a disagreement over whether the function of mindfulness strategies within the brain is top-down vs. bottom-up, although this may be due to the wide variety and applications. (2)

Different types of mindfulness training support different needs.  Concentrative attention seems to be improved when focus is given to something specific like breath (3). Receptive attention, on the other hand, does not focus on an object and instead the goal for the practitioner is remain in the present moment and no stimuli are considered “extraneous because attention is open to the entire field of experience” (3). As a blog post explains there are different types of meditation and they support different goals: “As opposed to “zoning out,” Mindfulness Meditation is like “zoning in” on whatever phenomenon or phenomena we choose to zone in on” (4).

Here are some resources that explain the differences between the different types of meditative practices:

http://www.chopra.com/ccl/5-types-of-meditation-decoded

http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858

http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/05/19/how-different-types-of-meditation-affect-the-brain/70052.html

Sources

1. Baker RL, Brown D. On engagement: Learning to pay attention. U Ark Little Rock L Rev. 2014;36(3):337-377.

2. Chiesa A, Serretti A, Jakobsen J. Mindfulness: Top-down or bottom-up emotion regulation strategy? Clinical Psychology Review [Internet]. 2013 Feb[cited 2015 Feb 20];33(1):82-96. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23142788

3. Jha AP, Krompinger J, Baime, MJ. Mindfulness training modifies subsystems of attention. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience [Internet] 2007 [cited 2015 Feb 20];7(2):109-119. Available from: https://www.upaya.org/uploads/pdfs/2007JhaKrompingerBaime.pdf

4. Israel I. What’s the Difference Between Mindfulness, Mindfulness Meditation and Basic Meditation? Huff Post Health Living Blog [Internet]. 2013 May 30 [cited 2015 Feb 20] Available from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ira-israel/types-of-mindfulness_b_3347428.html

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