Phenomenological matrix of mindfulness-related practices
I won't go into details (I'm lazy), but here's a nice way to classify meditation's altered states of consciousness according to 7 dimensions.
(Description (from the paper) of the dimensions below the image. Here is the paper.)
Qualitative dimensions
Aperture : reflects the broadness of the scope of attention and is identical to the classical optical analogy of the “spotlight of attention” filter model of attention. Aperture can be either narrow, as during concentrative practice with a well-defined object such as the breath, or wide open, as during “choiceless awareness” meditation.
Clarity : refers to the degree of vividness with which an experience occurs. During depressive rumination, for instance, the object of attention will usually be phenomenally more vivid than during mindwandering.
Stability : indicates the degree to which experience presents itself as persisting over time.
Effort : refers to the phenomenal impression that one’s current mental state is easy or difficult to sustain.
Functional dimensions
Meta-awareness : involves monitoring of experience. It has been defined as the mental state that arises when attention is directed toward explicitly noting the current contents of consciousness.
Object orientation : concerns the phenomenological sense that an experience or mental state is oriented toward some object or class of objects. By object, we mean here that one is aware of some particular thing. This intentional object can arise through perception, memory, or imagination. It is crucial to note that the relevant phenomenological feature is not the actual selection of an object, but rather the sense that the state is strongly (or weakly) oriented toward an object, even when no object is clearly selected. For example, when one is seeking to find a person in a crowd, off-target objects (e.g., other persons) do not present themselves phenomenally as strongly selected, but the state nevertheless seems to bear strongly on an object, namely, the person sought.
Dereification : reflects the degree to which thoughts, feelings, and perceptions are phenomenally interpreted as mental processes rather than as accurate depictions of reality.