7 Signs of Deep Meditation (and How to Remain Unattached)

Last Updated on August 26, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov

This is a topic I hesitate to write about, but here I go. We’ll be covering some signs of deep meditation here, specifically when it comes to concentration or samadhi. Before getting into the content, I have to make three points here at the beginning. I’ll cover these more toward the bottom, but I believe they are important to note when going into this discussion.

• Watch for Craving and Clinging – When we begin to discuss anything to do with the progress of meditation, clinging and craving can arise. We measure ourselves, crave to reach a certain level, and cling to experiences we have. Watch for this craving and clinging as it arises.
• Signs are Just Signs – Signs are just signs, not the end goal. Take them for what they are, but don’t cling to them. Recognize the signs when they arise, leave them out of your mind when they don’t. Water the seeds necessary to cultivate concentration, not clinging and craving to signs.
• Observe Whatever Arises – Whatever arises, whether it’s a traditional sign of deepening concentration or a mystical experience, is worth observing. Don’t cling to ideas or stories about them. Watch expectations, interpretations, and judgements. Return to simple observation.

What is Deep Meditation?

So, what do we mean exactly by “deep meditation?” I use that term because that is how it is most often phrased when someone asks me about it. But what we are actually discussing is the state of a collected and unified mind known as samadhi.

Samadhi is a word that is often translated into English as concentration. It’s a factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, and one that is cultivated through samatha meditation. This is any practice that calms and unifies the mind, but most traditionally refers to the practice of working with the breath.

When we practice concentrative meditation, the mind grows unified, undistracted, and tranquil. We eventually may reach states known as the jhanas, or states of mental absorption. This is traditionally understood as concentration that is free from the Five Hindrances.

In these “deeper” states of concentration, experience can feel quite different from typical everday experience. Many meditators find these moments of deep concentration arising without an understanding of what is happening. It can be useful to understand exactly what’s going on, how we got there, and how to utilize these periods (more on that toward the end of this post).

Signs of Deepening Concentration

Again, it’s important to remember that generating the signs is not the purpose of meditation. The signs simply let us know we are on the path to deepening concentration. Below are seven common experiences people have. Some have all of these all of the time, some have some of these some of the time, and some have none of these! Don’t get attached to the signs.

Subtle Breathing

One of the most common signs of a more developed concentration during practice is a subtlety of the sensations of breathing. And yes, I had to look up how to spell “subtlety.” For many, sensations related to the breath become much more subtle as they settle into practice.

This may feel like a shallower breath, a lighter breath, or the disappearance altogether of the sensation of breathing. During concentration meditation in which we’re using the breath as the object, this can be a bit confusing or concerning at first. Many people take a deep breath when they notice this happening. Instead, just notice it!

Changes in Bodily Sensations

All kinds of changes can happen elsewhere in the body. The feeling tone may change completely. Experiences that are generally neutral become pleasant or unpleasant. You may feel a heaviness or lightness, warmth, tingling (especially in the hands or feet), vibrations, pulsing, expansion or contraction, a sense of stillness, and/or the disappearance of the sensations of the body.

A Change in Thinking

The experience of thinking often begins to change for many people as well. You certainly might notice a change in the actual content of the thoughts. There may be fewer thoughts, more space between the arising of thoughts, and thoughts may largely center on your practice and the present moment.

Additionally, the experience of thinking may change. Thoughts lose their normal charge. We have a natural reduction in interest or clinging to thoughts, and perhaps a more felt sense of non-self with the thoughts.

Nimittas

The concept of nimittas are a bit controversial. Some teachers recommend turning toward them, while others recommend ignoring them. Either way, here’s what’s up. A nimitta is generally a light that forms when concentration deepens. For many, it’s a ring or ball that may grow from frantic to more stable as the mind stills.

One important distinction here. Nimittas are not the same as visualizations. They are generally organized and contained. Many meditators mistake geometric patterns, pulsing light, or visual forms for nimittas.

Bliss

One of the hallmark qualities of deeper states of concentration (such as the jhanas and access concentration) is the presence of piti. This is often translated into English as bliss, rapture, or joy. People experience it differently, so it’s hard to stick to one word or definition.

Lack of Effort

For many, effort subsides as concentration deepens. Where we first need continual effort to practice and collect our attention, a more unified state requires much less effort or energy. The mind stays unified and collected without much force, and this can feel very ease-ful.

Perception of Time

Finally, perception of time can become quite warped. Often this goes in the direction of time flying by, but it can go the other way. When attention is absorbed, the non-conscious monitoring of time subsides.

Attachment and Clinging

You probably came to this page looking for the above information, but I strongly encourage you to keep reading! I don’t believe the signs are the most important part of this post. I believe this section is (and the very last one).

We have to remember that these states of deep concentration are just states. They are impermanent. There are many benefits to deep samadhi, and of course concentration and mindfulness are intertwined. But if your pursuit of the jhanas, deep states, or the signs is producing more craving and clinging, it’s not serving you!

Recognizing Signs as Signs

As mentioned, we can recognize signs simply as signs. Leigh Brasington is a student of Ayya Khema who teaches primarily about concentration. He perhaps explains it best in his book Right Concentration. He says to imagine you are on the highway driving to Concentrationville. On the way, you see a sign that says “Concentrationville – 4 Miles.” You wouldn’t stop, pull over, rip the sign down, and put it in your trunk! You’d recognize it for what it is: a sign.

Watch for craving for and clinging to the sign. When you are practicing, is the mind fixated on generating a certain experience or sign? When a sign does arise, does the attention turn toward it and get distracted? Clinging to it once it arises is a hindrance. It’s natural that this happens for many of us. It takes time and repetitions often to learn how not to put that sign in our trunk.

Craving Pleasant States

If you do find yourself experiencing pleasant states or even bliss during meditation, craving can arise quite naturally. I actually had this personally. I had an experience of immense bliss during a period of practice on retreat. I then spent months craving that state. As may be expected, the craving for that state actually prevented me from getting anywhere near it again.

It’s a bit of a paradox. In order to experience the pleasant states in meditation, we have to let go of the craving for them. Yet the natural response to experience such pleasantness is to crave. As such, mindfulness is required. We must be aware of the craving and clinging, not just have naked concentration.

Judgement and Measuring

Finally, don’t use the signs as a way to judge your practice or measure it. Yes, they are quite literally signs of progress. But when we attach to them in judgement, we cling to a sense of self. Notice when you’re judging your practice based on these signs. Is it a good meditation because you saw a nimitta? Was it a bad meditation because no signs of concentration arose?

How to Develop Deeper Concentration

So, how do we actually develop a more unified and collected mind? There are many ways to cultivate samadhi. What works for me may not work for you. And many traditions have different techniques for concentration. I encourage you to find what works for you.

Before getting into the different practices, I just want to offer this video below from our Mindfulness for Beginners playlist. It covers some tips for building concentration in meditation in audio form if you’re someone who prefers to learn that way!

Breath Meditation

Working with the breath is the most traditional way to cultivate concentration in the Insight Meditation tradition. This can be done through awareness of the breath, practices like breath counting, and more body-and-breath based practices.

The first meditation below comes from our playlist of 5 Minute Guided Meditations and is a simple practice in collecting the attnetion on the breath. The second is from our playlist of 10 Minute Guided Meditations, and uses a counting exercise at the beginning.

Metta Meditation

Using metta, or loving-kindness, is definitely not the traditional way to cultivate concentration but it does work. I talk about the canonical foundation for this in this post. There’s also an episode of the One Mind Dharma Podcast in which I discuss metta as a concentration practice that can be found here. Below is a guided meditation that went along with the talk.

Kasina Meditation

Kasina practice comes from early Buddhism and is a form of developing samadhi. This is a practice in which we gaze at a physical object as the object of our awareness. The Pali Canon lists ten objects:

• Elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air
• Colors: Blue, Yellow, Red, White
• Space and Light: Enclosed space/hole, Bright light

Just as we might do with the breath, we collect our attention onto the object or color in front of us. When the mind wanders off, we notice it has done so and gently bring it back. There are many modern takes on this practice using LED lights and whatnot, but I won’t go into that here.

The Sound of Silence

Finally, Ajahn Sumedho offers the practice of observing the sound of silence. Or, more accurately, the sound we hear when there are no external auditory inputs. It’s generally experienced as a high-pitch ringing, much as people with tinnitus experience. By focusing on this sound as the object of awareness, we can cultivate deep samadhi.

A Note on the Hindrances

It’s worth noting that in order to arrive at states of meditative absorption, we must abandon the five hindrances of sensual desire, ill-will, sloth and torpor, restless and worry, and doubt. While resting in the jhanas, these hindrances are not present.

As such, it can be helpful to pay attention to the hindrances in your practice. Recognize when they arise, and know how to work with them. We cannot truly unify the mind and find absorption while the hindrances are present.

What’s Really Important

Finally, I want to bring this back to practice. What’s important is not the signs of deep meditation, the states of absorption, the feelings of bliss, etc. What’s important is how we observe these experiences and what happens in the mind as we do so.

Whatever is arising for you (or not), that is what you practice with. Notice when craving arises for a different experience, more of something, or less of something. The way of practice is to be with what is happening in this moment, not projecting our practice into the future.