neuroskill-protocols-meditation

name	neuroskill-protocols-meditation
description	Meditation protocols — guided, unguided, mantra, visualization, loving-kindness, body scan, open awareness, and EEG-biofeedback meditation with real-time neural tracking.

Meditation Protocols

(This is a domain sub-skill of the neuroskill-protocols repertoire. For the personalisation engine, API integration guide, modality router, and matching guidance, see the parent neuroskill-protocols skill. For evidence collection rules, see neuroskill-evidence.)

FOCUSED ATTENTION MEDITATION

Breath-Counting Meditation → high bar, scattered attention, low focus Count breaths 1–10, restart on losing count. Builds sustained attention. ◈ Beginner: Start with 1–5 counts. Use say to announce each count as an anchor. ◈ Child: "Count your belly breaths like counting sheep — start over if you forget!" ◈ Breath-averse: Count heartbeats or ambient sounds instead of breaths. 🔧 API: Before: status → snapshot focus, bar, rel_theta/rel_alpha baseline, label "protocol start: breath counting" --context "focus=X, bar=X". During: poll status every 60s — report focus shifts verbally ("Focus score climbing — you're settling in"). After: status → compare to baseline, label "protocol end: breath counting" --context "focus delta, bar delta".

Single-Point Focus (Trataka) → low focus, high beta, mental restlessness Gaze at a fixed point (candle flame, dot, object) without blinking as long as comfortable. Then close eyes and hold the afterimage. ◈ Screen-based: Use a small dot on screen if no candle available. ◈ Eye strain risk: Limit to 2–3 min, blink gently if needed. 🔧 API: Track focus and rel_alpha — alpha typically rises sharply when eyes close after gazing.

Mantra Meditation → high mental chatter, difficulty with silent practice, low relaxation Silently repeat a word or phrase (e.g., "Om", "So Hum", personal mantra). Return to mantra when mind wanders. ◈ Secular: Use neutral words like "calm", "peace", "one", or counting. ◈ Vocalized variant: Chanting aloud activates vagal tone via laryngeal vibration (same pathway as humming). ◈ Child: Pick a favourite word — "butterfly", "sunshine" — and whisper it like a secret. 🔧 API: Before: snapshot bar, relaxation, rel_alpha. During: say the mantra softly at intervals if vocalized. Poll status at 60s — watch for rel_alpha rise and bar drop. After: label with deltas.

---

OPEN AWARENESS MEDITATION

Open Monitoring / Choiceless Awareness → low lzc (<40), low integration, mental rigidity Sit without a focal object. Let thoughts, sensations, and sounds arise and pass without engaging. Raises neural complexity (LZC) and integration. ◈ Beginner bridge: Start with 2 min focused attention, then release into open monitoring. ◈ Restless: Label experiences silently ("thinking", "hearing", "feeling") to stay non-reactive. 🔧 API: Track lzc, integration, rel_alpha, rel_theta. Open monitoring raises LZC more than focused attention. Before: snapshot all. During: poll every 90s. After: compare with focused sessions to see which raises complexity more for this person.

Non-Dual Awareness → advanced meditators, high baseline focus, seeking deeper states Rest as awareness itself — no meditator, no object, no effort. Notice the noticing. ◈ Prerequisites: Stable focused attention and open monitoring practice. ◈ Pointer: "What is aware right now? Look for the looker." 🔧 API: Watch for simultaneous high rel_alpha, high lzc, low bar, high coherence — the signature of effortless awareness. label any state shifts with context.

---

VISUALIZATION MEDITATION

Visualization / Guided Imagery → stress, pre-performance anxiety, creative blocks Mentally construct a detailed scene (beach, forest, mountain, safe place). Engage all senses. ◈ Low visualization ability: Focus on felt sense (warmth, breeze) rather than visual detail. ◈ Performance prep: Visualize successful execution of upcoming task in detail. 🔧 API: say the guided imagery script at natural pace. Poll status every 60s — track relaxation, bar, rel_alpha. After: label with subjective vividness rating.

Yoga Nidra / NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest) → fatigue, low energy, need recovery without sleep Systematic guided body rotation + intention setting while hovering between wake and sleep. 20–45 min. Distinct from progressive relaxation — uses rotation of awareness, not tensing. ◈ Short version: 10 min micro-nidra focusing on body rotation only. ◈ Insomnia: Use at bedtime — if sleep happens, that's fine. 🔧 API: dnd_set enabled:true. say body rotation cues slowly. Poll status at 120s intervals — watch for theta dominance (rel_theta > 0.3) indicating hypnagogic entry. After: label "protocol end: yoga nidra" --context "theta peak, relaxation delta". sleep command can confirm if actual sleep occurred.

---

COMPASSION & EMOTIONAL MEDITATION

Loving-Kindness (Metta) → low mood, loneliness, self-criticism, interpersonal stress Silently direct well-wishes: "May I be happy, may I be safe, may I be healthy, may I live with ease." Expand to loved ones → neutral people → difficult people → all beings. ◈ Resistance: Start with a beloved pet or child — easier entry than self-directed kindness. ◈ Physical anchor: Place hand on heart while sending wishes. ◈ Child: "Send a warm golden light from your heart to someone you love." 🔧 API: Track valence, relaxation, faa (frontal asymmetry). Left-dominant FAA shift correlates with positive affect. label with emotional target (self/other/difficult).

Tonglen (Giving & Taking) → empathic fatigue, avoidance of difficult emotions Inhale suffering (dark, heavy); exhale relief (light, spacious). Paradoxically reduces distress by reversing avoidance. ◈ Overwhelm risk: Start with minor discomfort, not trauma. Scale gradually. ◈ Non-breath version: Visualize absorbing and transforming without breath coordination.

Gratitude Meditation → negativity bias, rumination, low valence Bring to mind 3–5 things you're grateful for. Dwell on each — feel the gratitude in the body. ◈ Specificity matters: "The warmth of coffee this morning" > "I'm grateful for life." 🔧 API: Snapshot valence, bar before and after. label with gratitude targets for longitudinal tracking.

---

BODY-BASED MEDITATION

Body Scan Meditation → physical tension, disconnection from body, high stress_index Systematic attention sweep from crown to toes (or vice versa). Notice sensations without changing them. ◈ Speed variants: Quick scan (3 min) for check-ins, deep scan (20 min) for full release. ◈ Difficulty feeling body: Focus on contact points (feet on floor, back on chair) first. 🔧 API: say body region cues at slow pace. Track relaxation, stress_index, bar. After: label with tension regions discovered.

Walking Meditation → restlessness, inability to sit still, post-meal sluggishness Slow deliberate walking. Attention on: lifting, moving, placing each foot. ◈ Indoor: 10 steps forward, pause, turn, 10 steps back. Repeat. ◈ Outdoor: Add awareness of environment — sounds, air, ground texture. ◈ Stealth: Slow your normal walk by 20% and attend to feet. No one notices. 🔧 API: Motion sensors may show reduced acceleration variance. Track focus and bar.

---

EEG-BIOFEEDBACK MEDITATION

Neurofeedback-Guided Meditation → meditators wanting objective feedback on practice quality Use real-time EEG data to guide and validate meditation depth. 🔧 API: This is the flagship meditation use case for NeuroSkill.

1. Before: status → full baseline snapshot.
2. dnd_set enabled:true — silence interruptions.
3. Choose target metric based on meditation style:
   • Focused attention → track focus score
   • Open monitoring → track lzc, integration
   • Relaxation → track relaxation, rel_alpha
   • Deep states → track rel_theta, consciousness indices
4. During: poll status every 60–90s. Use say for gentle audio cues:
   • "Focus deepening" when target metric improves
   • "Mind wandering detected" when focus drops or bar spikes
   • Avoid interrupting flow — only cue on significant shifts
5. After: label "meditation session" --context "style, duration, peak metrics".
6. Longitudinal: compare meditation sessions over time. search for neurally similar peak states. Build evidence of which style produces deepest states for this person.

Alpha-Theta Crossover Training → deep meditation, creativity, integrative states Goal: achieve alpha-theta crossover where rel_theta exceeds rel_alpha. Historically used in neurofeedback clinics for peak performance and trauma resolution. 🔧 API: Poll status at 30s intervals. When rel_theta > rel_alpha, say "Crossover — you're in deep territory". label crossover moments. Track crossover duration across sessions.

---

SESSION DESIGN GUIDELINES

Duration	Structure	Best for
3–5 min	Single technique, no transitions	Micro-reset, beginners, acute stress
10–15 min	Settle (2 min) → main practice → close (1 min)	Daily practice, moderate depth
20–30 min	Settle → focused attention (5 min) → main practice → open awareness (3 min) → close	Experienced practitioners, deep work
45–60 min	Full sequence: body scan → breathwork → focused → open → non-dual → integration	Retreat-style, advanced

Transition rule: Always begin with 1–2 min of settling (feel the body, notice the breath) before any technique. Abrupt starts increase resistance.

Ending rule: Never end abruptly. Use 30–60s of "widening" — open awareness, feel the room, hear ambient sounds — before opening eyes.

---