A comprehensive guide to the language of meditation, mindfulness, and inner work. Whether you’re new to the practice or deepening your understanding, this glossary covers the terms you’ll encounter across our meditations, blog posts, and teachings. Click any term to jump to its definition.
A
Affirmations / I AM Affirmations
Short, present-tense statements you repeat to direct your attention toward a desired identity or state — for example, “I am calm” or “I am worthy.” “I AM” affirmations specifically begin with those two words because, in many traditions, “I am” is considered the most powerful declaration of self. Repeated consistently, affirmations gradually reshape self-talk and belief. Explore our I AM Affirmations meditations to practice with guided audio.
Alpha Waves (8–13 Hz)
A category of brainwave associated with relaxed wakefulness — the calm, alert state you feel when you close your eyes, daydream, or settle into light meditation. Alpha activity tends to rise when the mind is quiet but awake, which is why many meditation and focus sessions aim to encourage it.
Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)
A breathwork technique from yoga in which you gently close one nostril, inhale through the other, then switch — alternating with each breath. Practitioners use it to feel balanced and centered, and research suggests slow, controlled breathing like this supports parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) activity.
Astral Projection
A term from esoteric and spiritual traditions describing the experience of consciousness seeming to travel outside the physical body. It is closely related to out-of-body experiences. We mention it neutrally because listeners encounter the term; it is a subjective spiritual concept rather than a scientifically established phenomenon.
Autonomic Nervous System
The part of your nervous system that runs automatic body functions — heart rate, digestion, breathing rhythm — without conscious effort. It has two main branches: the sympathetic (which mobilizes you for action) and the parasympathetic (which calms you down). Much of meditation’s benefit comes from gently shifting balance toward the parasympathetic branch.
B
Beta Waves (13–30 Hz)
The fast brainwaves associated with normal waking consciousness — active thinking, problem-solving, focus, and alertness. High beta activity can also accompany stress and racing thoughts. Many calming meditations aim to ease the mind out of high beta and into slower alpha and theta rhythms.
Binaural Beats
An auditory effect created when two slightly different frequencies are played separately into each ear — for example, 200 Hz on the left and 210 Hz on the right. The brain perceives a third, “phantom” beat at the difference (10 Hz), which some research suggests may encourage brainwave entrainment toward that frequency. Binaural beats require headphones to work. Hear them in our healing frequencies meditations.
Body Scan Meditation
A practice in which you move your attention slowly through the body — often from toes to head — noticing sensations without trying to change them. Body scans build interoceptive awareness and are a gentle, reliable way to release stored physical tension and prepare for sleep.
Box Breathing (4-4-4-4)
A simple breathwork pattern: inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four — like tracing the four sides of a box. Used by everyone from athletes to first responders, it’s a fast, structured way to steady the breath and calm the nervous system under pressure.
Breathwork
An umbrella term for practices that use conscious control of the breath to influence mental, emotional, and physical states. Because breathing is one of the few autonomic functions we can also direct voluntarily, it offers a direct lever on the nervous system. Browse our breathwork sessions.
C
Chakra
In yogic and tantric traditions, chakras are energy centers said to run along the spine. Seven main chakras are commonly described — root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown — each associated with particular qualities. Chakra meditations focus attention on these centers as a framework for balance and self-inquiry.
Coherent Breathing (5-5)
Breathing at a slow, even pace of roughly five seconds in and five seconds out — about six breaths per minute. This rate is associated with improved heart rate variability and a calm, balanced autonomic state, which is why it appears in many relaxation and vagal-toning practices.
Cortisol
A hormone released by the adrenal glands in response to stress. In healthy amounts it helps regulate energy and the wake cycle, but chronically elevated cortisol is linked to poor sleep, anxiety, and tension. Research suggests regular meditation and slow breathing can help lower cortisol levels over time.
D
Delta Waves (0.5–4 Hz)
The slowest brainwaves, dominant during the deepest, most restorative stages of dreamless sleep. Delta-stage sleep is when much of the body’s physical repair occurs. Many deep sleep meditations aim to guide the mind toward delta-range stillness.
Deep Sleep Meditation
A guided session designed to carry you from wakefulness into deep, sustained sleep — typically using slow pacing, body relaxation, soothing imagery, and sometimes delta-range soundscapes. These sessions are often long by design, intended to play through the night.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Also called belly breathing — breathing deeply into the lower lungs so the diaphragm descends and the belly expands, rather than shallow chest breathing. It’s the foundation of most breathwork and a hallmark of a relaxed, parasympathetic state.
F
4-7-8 Breathing Technique
A relaxation breath popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil: inhale through the nose for four counts, hold for seven, then exhale slowly through the mouth for eight. The extended exhale is the active ingredient — long exhales stimulate the vagus nerve and signal the body to calm down. It’s a favorite for easing into sleep.
432 Hz (Concert Pitch A)
An alternative tuning standard for the musical note A, slightly lower than the modern 440 Hz standard. Advocates describe 432 Hz tuning as warmer and more relaxing. While the perceived calming quality is subjective rather than scientifically proven, many healing frequency tracks use it.
528 Hz (Love Frequency)
One of the Solfeggio frequencies, often called the “love frequency” or “miracle tone” in sound-healing circles. It’s associated with feelings of harmony and transformation. Its effects are experiential and rooted in tradition rather than clinical evidence, but it remains popular in relaxation soundscapes.
Fight-or-Flight Response
The body’s automatic stress reaction, driven by the sympathetic nervous system. Faced with a perceived threat, the body floods with adrenaline and cortisol, raising heart rate and tensing muscles to prepare for action. Meditation and breathwork help by activating the opposing, calming response.
Frequency (in the context of healing)
In sound and meditation, frequency refers to how many sound-wave cycles occur per second, measured in Hertz (Hz). Lower frequencies feel deep and grounding; higher ones feel bright. “Healing frequencies” refers to specific tones — like 432 Hz or the Solfeggio set — used to evoke particular states.
G
Gamma Waves (30–100 Hz)
The fastest brainwaves, linked to heightened perception, focus, and moments of insight. Some research on experienced meditators has observed elevated gamma activity during deep states of awareness and compassion practice.
Grounding / Grounding Meditation
Techniques that bring your attention firmly into the present moment and the physical body, often by focusing on the senses, the breath, or the feeling of contact with the earth. Grounding is especially useful for anxiety and overwhelm — see our anxiety & stress relief sessions.
Guided Meditation
A meditation led by a voice — in person or recorded — that directs your attention through relaxation, visualization, breathwork, or reflection. Guidance removes the guesswork, which makes it ideal for beginners and for anyone who finds silent meditation difficult.
Guided Imagery / Visualization
A practice that uses vivid mental imagery — a peaceful beach, a warm light, a future scene — to evoke calm or rehearse a desired state. The brain responds to imagined experiences in measurable ways, which is why imagery is used for relaxation, performance, and manifestation.
H
Healing Frequencies
Specific sound frequencies — including binaural beats, the Solfeggio tones, and tunings like 432 Hz — used in meditation to encourage relaxation, focus, or sleep. Explore the full collection in our healing frequencies meditations.
Hypnagogic State
The dreamy, transitional state of consciousness between waking and sleep, when imagery drifts and the mind becomes especially suggestible. Many sleep and manifestation techniques deliberately use this window because the threshold to the subconscious is more open.
Hz (Hertz)
The unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second. In meditation, Hz describes both sound frequencies (the pitch of a tone) and brainwave frequencies (like alpha or delta). Lower Hz generally corresponds to deeper, slower, more restful states.
I
Intention Setting
The practice of consciously choosing a guiding focus — a quality, feeling, or aim — at the start of a meditation or a day. Unlike a rigid goal, an intention is a direction for your attention. Morning sessions often open with intention setting to shape the hours ahead.
Isochronic Tones
Single tones that pulse on and off at a regular, even rhythm. Like binaural beats, they aim to encourage brainwave entrainment — but because the pulsing is built into a single tone, isochronic tones don’t strictly require headphones to be effective.
L
Law of Assumption
A principle central to Neville Goddard’s teachings: that whatever you assume to be true — and feel as real — tends to express itself in your experience. Rather than wishing for an outcome, you assume the feeling of already having it. Explore it in our Neville Goddard & Law of Assumption meditations.
Law of Attraction
The popular idea that focusing your thoughts and feelings on what you want draws corresponding experiences toward you. It overlaps with the Law of Assumption but emphasizes attraction and vibration rather than assumed identity. See manifestation & abundance.
Living in the End
A Neville Goddard technique of mentally and emotionally inhabiting the reality of your wish already fulfilled — thinking, feeling, and acting from the end result rather than longing for it. It’s closely tied to SATS and the Law of Assumption.
LUFS / Loudness
LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale) is the standard measure of perceived audio loudness used in broadcast and streaming. We mention it because consistent loudness matters for a comfortable listening experience — meditations are mastered to gentle, even levels so a session never jolts you awake.
Lucid Dreaming
Becoming aware that you’re dreaming while still inside the dream — sometimes with the ability to influence it. Lucid dreaming sits at the intersection of sleep science and consciousness exploration, and certain pre-sleep practices aim to make it more likely.
M
Manifestation
The practice of using focused thought, feeling, and belief to bring a desired outcome into your life. Across traditions it blends visualization, affirmation, and emotional alignment. Whatever the mechanism you ascribe to it, the practical work involves directing attention deliberately. See our manifestation meditations.
Mantra
A word, sound, or phrase repeated during meditation to focus the mind — for example “om,” a Sanskrit syllable, or a short affirmation. The repetition gives attention a gentle anchor, quieting mental chatter. Mantras are central to Transcendental Meditation and many traditions.
Mindfulness
The practice of paying open, non-judgmental attention to the present moment — your breath, sensations, thoughts, and surroundings — as they are. Mindfulness is both a specific meditation style and a quality you can carry into everyday life. It underpins much of modern, evidence-based meditation.
Morning Meditation
A short practice done soon after waking to set a calm, clear tone for the day — often combining breath awareness, gratitude, and intention setting. Because the mind is fresh and receptive in the morning, even a few minutes can shape the hours that follow. Try our morning meditations.
N
Neville Goddard
A 20th-century lecturer and author (1905–1972) whose teachings on the Law of Assumption, imagination, and consciousness remain hugely influential in manifestation circles. His core message — “assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled” — anchors techniques like SATS and revision.
Neuroplasticity
The brain’s lifelong ability to rewire itself — forming and strengthening neural connections in response to repeated thoughts, behaviors, and experiences. It’s the scientific basis for why consistent practices like affirmations and meditation can produce lasting change: repetition literally reshapes neural pathways.
Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)
A modern term — popularized by neuroscientist Andrew Huberman — for guided practices that bring deep relaxation without sleep, closely related to Yoga Nidra. NSDR sessions can restore energy, ease stress, and support learning, all while you remain awake but profoundly relaxed.
P
Parasympathetic Nervous System
The “rest-and-digest” branch of the autonomic nervous system. When active, it slows the heart, deepens breathing, and promotes calm, recovery, and digestion. Most relaxation techniques — slow breathing, body scans, long exhales — work by shifting you into a parasympathetic state.
Physiological Sigh
A breathing pattern — a double inhale (a second short sip of air on top of a full breath) followed by a long, complete exhale — that the body does naturally to reset. Stanford research suggests deliberately repeating it is one of the fastest ways to reduce acute stress in real time.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
A technique of systematically tensing and then releasing muscle groups, one at a time, to teach the body the contrast between tension and release. PMR is well-studied for reducing anxiety and improving sleep, and it pairs naturally with body scan meditations.
Pranayama
The yogic discipline of breath control — “prana” (life force) plus “ayama” (extension). It encompasses many techniques, from alternate nostril breathing to energizing rapid breaths, each intended to influence body and mind. It’s the traditional root of much modern breathwork.
R
Reticular Activating System (RAS)
A network of neurons in the brainstem that filters the flood of incoming information, deciding what reaches your conscious attention. It’s why, once you focus on something, you start noticing it everywhere. In manifestation, the RAS is the plausible mechanism behind “what you focus on, you find.”
Revision Technique
A Neville Goddard practice of mentally replaying an event from your day — or past — as you wished it had gone, rather than how it actually happened. The aim is to revise the emotional impression left on the subconscious, changing your inner state and, in his teaching, your future.
S
SATS (State Akin To Sleep)
A Neville Goddard technique that uses the drowsy, hypnagogic state just before sleep — when the mind is relaxed and suggestible — to vividly imagine and feel a desired outcome as already real. Practitioners consider this the most effective time to impress new beliefs on the subconscious mind.
Self-Affirmation Theory
A framework in psychology proposing that reflecting on your core values and strengths buffers the mind against threats to self-worth, reducing stress and defensiveness. It offers research-grounded support for why thoughtful affirmation practices can be genuinely helpful.
Sleep Onset Latency
The amount of time it takes you to fall asleep after lights out. Shorter isn’t always better, but a long, frustrating latency is a hallmark of insomnia and racing thoughts. Sleep meditations work largely by shrinking this window — quieting the mind so sleep can arrive.
Solfeggio Frequencies
A set of specific tones — including 396, 417, 528, 639, 741, and 852 Hz — drawn from an ancient musical scale and widely used in sound healing, each said to correspond to a particular intention. Their benefits are experiential and traditional rather than clinically established, but they’re a staple of relaxation audio.
Subconscious Mind
The layer of mind operating below conscious awareness — storing beliefs, habits, and automatic responses that quietly shape behavior. Much of meditation, affirmation, and manifestation work aims to reach and gently reprogram the subconscious, especially in suggestible states like the hypnagogic.
Sympathetic Nervous System
The “fight-or-flight” branch of the autonomic nervous system, which mobilizes the body for action by raising heart rate, sharpening alertness, and releasing stress hormones. It’s essential in genuine emergencies but harmful when chronically switched on — which is what calming practices help counter.
T
Theta Waves (4–8 Hz)
Slow brainwaves linked to deep relaxation, drowsiness, light sleep, and rich inner imagery. Theta is the territory of the meditative trance and the hypnagogic threshold, where access to the subconscious is thought to deepen — which is why so many deep meditations aim for it.
Third Eye
In yogic tradition, an energy center (the brow chakra) located between the eyebrows, associated with intuition, insight, and inner vision. Many meditations invite you to rest attention there as a focal point for stillness and awareness.
Transcendental Meditation (TM)
A specific, trademarked meditation technique taught by certified instructors, in which a personal mantra is repeated silently to settle the mind into a state of restful alertness. It’s one of the most widely studied meditation methods. We reference it neutrally; our sessions are free and don’t require formal training.
V
Vagus Nerve / Vagal Tone
The vagus nerve is the longest nerve of the parasympathetic system, running from the brainstem through the body and acting as a master brake on stress. “Vagal tone” describes how readily it activates; higher tone means faster recovery from stress. Long exhales, humming, and slow breathing all stimulate it.
Visualization
Deliberately creating detailed mental images to evoke a feeling, rehearse an outcome, or relax. The same practice as guided imagery, visualization is a core tool in both relaxation and manifestation, drawing on the brain’s tendency to respond to imagined scenes much as it does to real ones.
Vipassana
One of the oldest meditation techniques, originating in the Buddhist tradition, meaning “insight” or “clear seeing.” Practitioners observe sensations and the changing nature of experience with steady, equanimous attention. We mention it neutrally as foundational context for the broader mindfulness family.
Y
Yoga Nidra (Non-Sleep Deep Rest)
A guided practice of “yogic sleep” in which you lie still and follow a voice through body awareness and breath while resting on the edge of sleep — fully relaxed yet aware. Closely related to NSDR, a single session can feel as restorative as a nap and is a wonderful entry point for beginners.
Still curious? New to the practice? Visit our Start Here guide, or explore all eight categories in the meditation library. A new session is published free every morning at 9 AM Eastern.