Meditation, mindfulness and breathwork are often spoken about as though they are interchangeable. All may involve becoming quiet, noticing the breath and turning attention inward. Yet their intentions and methods can differ. Understanding those differences can help us approach each practice with greater clarity—and with fewer expectations about what we should experience.
Meditation within a wider yogic practice
Yoga encompasses many traditions, so there is no single approach to yogic meditation. In Patanjali’s influential eight-limbed framework, meditation sits within a wider path that includes ethical living, posture, breath regulation and the cultivation of concentration. It is part of a way of living, rather than simply an exercise for switching off.
Within this framework, Dharana means concentration: gathering attention around a chosen focus. Dhyana, usually translated as meditation, describes a more continuous flow of attention. We practice returning our attention, creating the conditions in which meditation can deepen.
The focus might be the breath, a mantra, an image or a contemplative inquiry. Feeling calmer may be welcome, but the purpose can extend towards spiritual understanding and a different relationship with the thoughts and habits that shape our experience.
Why is meditation usually practiced sitting?
The emphasis on awareness helps explain why meditation in many yogic traditions is generally practiced seated, rather than lying down in Savasana.
Sitting supports a balance between ease and alertness. We allow the body to settle and soften unnecessary effort while remaining awake and attentive. Lying down can invite sleepiness, particularly when we are tired or accustomed to practicing Savasana as a time of deep rest.
The distinction is one of emphasis. In Savasana, we release effort and allow ourselves to rest, ideally retaining awareness. In seated meditation, we cultivate steadiness of attention, with an upright posture helping to support wakefulness.
There are exceptions. Yoga Nidra is commonly practiced lying down and uses guided awareness to explore deep rest. Nor does sitting mean that we must be cross-legged on the floor. A chair, cushions or other support may provide a more comfortable and sustainable position. For someone experiencing pain, fatigue or limited mobility, reclining may be appropriate. The posture serves the practice; discomfort is not evidence that we are meditating well.
How does contemporary mindfulness differ?
Many contemporary mindfulness practices emphasise noticing present experience with openness and less judgement. We might attend to breathing, physical sensations, sounds, emotions or thoughts, returning gently when the mind wanders. Rather than trying to remove a worried thought, for example, we might recognise that worry is present and notice how it feels, without immediately following its story.
Contemporary secular mindfulness draws substantially on Buddhist traditions, with approaches adapted for healthcare, education, workplaces and everyday life. It can be taught without requiring a particular spiritual belief. Mindfulness can be practiced sitting, lying down, walking or during ordinary activities. Seated mindfulness meditation shares the yogic interest in balancing ease with alert attention.
The boundaries are therefore not tidy. Yogic meditation can involve mindful awareness, and contemporary mindfulness can support deep inquiry and compassion. A useful distinction is often the wider philosophical context and intention, rather than the outward appearance of the practice.
And where does breathwork fit?
“Breathwork” covers a broad range of methods, from gentle paced breathing to vigorous breathing patterns and breath holds. One helpful distinction is whether we are observing the breath or deliberately changing it. In breath-focused meditation or mindfulness, we may let breathing happen naturally and notice its sensations. In breathwork, we generally change its pace, depth, rhythm or pauses.
Yoga has longstanding practices of breath regulation, known as Pranayama. In Patanjali’s framework, these form part of the preparation for concentration and meditation. Modern breathwork may share or adapt some of these methods, while using different language and pursuing different goals. Research into breathwork has shown promising results for stress, but the methods and quality of evidence vary. Findings about one breathing technique should not be applied to everything described as breathwork.
Different practices, shared possibilities
Imagine three people sitting quietly. One is noticing the natural breath and allowing thoughts to come and go. Another is deliberately following a breathing rhythm. A third is returning to a mantra within a yogic meditation practice. They may look alike, yet be practicing in quite different ways.
Each approach deserves to be understood on its own terms. We can appreciate contemporary adaptations while respecting the traditions from which many practices have developed. And none requires a dramatic experience to be meaningful. A practice may simply help us recognise a habitual reaction, return to the present or meet ourselves with greater patience.
In yogic meditation, that quiet steadiness can become part of something wider: cultivating equanimity, deepening self-understanding and carrying greater awareness into how we live.
If you are interested to explore breath and meditation practices from the perspective of the ancient wisdom of the Yogic tradition join me online via Insight Timer for my weekly Meditation for a Busy Mind: Find Equanimity on Tuesdays 6pm for 30 minutes in the comfort of your own home.