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Article published In: Pragmatics & Cognition
Vol. 32:2 (2025) ► pp.329–353

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Meaning, mindfulness, nonduality?

Metaphor and construal in guided meditation strategies

ORCiD logo with link | University of Nottingham
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with the University of Nottingham.

Published online: 13 November 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/pc.24032.run
Abstract
This study analyzes the linguistic strategies in a guided meditation exercise. It describes the cognitive and phenomenal processes that the language encourages in meditators and how these relate to the philosophies that inform the Waking Up mindfulness app. It takes a discourse analytic approach grounded in Cognitive linguistics, applying concepts like conceptual metaphor (Lakoff, George & Mark Johnson. 1980. Metaphors we live by. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar), deliberate metaphor (. 2014. Deliberate metaphor affords conscious metaphorical cognition. Cognitive Semiotics 5(1–2). 179–197. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, . 2017. Deliberate metaphor theory: Basic assumptions, main tenets, urgent issues. Intercultural Pragmatics 14(1). 1–24. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar), force-dynamics (Talmy, Leonard. 2000. Toward a cognitive semantics (vol. 1). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) and subjective/objective construal (. 2008. Cognitive Grammar: A basic introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). The study finds that the cognitive semantics of the language encourages meditators to (a) adopt metaphorical frames and simulate physio-spatial scenarios in which introspective phenomena can be easily observed and manipulated; (b) strategically relinquish cognitive effort in ways that diminish their sense of agency; and (c) construe their sense of Self in paradoxical ways that may make it difficult to detect. The findings contribute to understanding how language can influence introspective phenomenal processes, providing insights for meditation guides and discourse analysts.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background in mindfulness, meditation and Cognitive linguistics
    • 2.1Classical and nondual mindfulness
    • 2.2The Waking Up app
    • 2.3Cognitive linguistics
  • 3.Analysis
    • 3.1Conceptual metaphors and force dynamics in meditation discourse
    • 3.2Objective construal and nondual awareness
  • 4.Conclusion
  • References
References (67)
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