Confused about so many types of meditation? Not sure how to choose or start practicing? Here’s a guideline for some clarity. Hope it helps.

Let’s get something straight right off the bat: you don’t need to sit in lotus position and become a monk in order to meditate. In fact, you don’t need to sit at all. 

Not always, anyway. But you will see that as we go along.

Meditation has been around for thousands of years, so you can imagine that’s been long enough for it to diversify. A lot. Today, there are so many different types of meditation that, if you’re just beginning, it can be daunting to pick one or know where to start.

In this article, we’ll provide a brief explanation of the main meditation styles so you can have a better idea of what’s in store and pick the best technique for you.

What’s the Best Type of Meditation?

The truth is there is no best or worst meditation. Different meditations work for different people.

The best type of meditation is the one that works for you. Forget about the latest trend or what the next-door neighbour is doing. Choose the technique that makes sense to you.

Go back to basics and keep it simple: Pick a meditation technique that resonates with you and then stick to it. Consistency is key to making progress and reaping the benefits of meditation. Don’t go shopping around for other techniques. Stick to what you have chosen and practice it consistently.

If you have trouble picking a style of meditation or making your practice systematic, find a teacher that can guide you on that path. This can be in person, but you can also follow someone online, or download an app.

The most important thing is that you stick to a system and practice consistently.

Meditation Styles

There are hundreds of meditation techniques. To make it simple, we could differentiate the different methods of meditation based on different criteria. For example (this is by no means a definitive list):

• Concentration vs. Mindfulness: Concentration meditation involves focusing our attention on one thing (it could be the breath, a body sensation, a mantra, an object, etc.), whereas mindfulness meditation is about letting your mind take you where it may while remaining aware of that without judging or trying to steer it away.

• Outward focus vs. Inward focus: If you’re focusing outwards, your attention goes to something outside of your body, like objects, sounds, or landscapes. If your attention is turned inwards, then you’re focused on something inside you: thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, the breath, etc.

• Guided vs. Unguided: In guided meditations, a teacher walks you through the technique and the basic steps, while in unguided meditations, you meditate on your own. Guided meditations can be particularly useful if you’re just getting started, so you have the guidance of an experienced teacher throughout the practice.

Types of Meditation

Here are some of the main types of meditation we teach at The Mind Movement. You can find most of them in our app (try it for free!). 

Allow yourself to explore different styles at the beginning, but don’t keep jumping from one to the other forever. Pick one. Stick to it. And show up every day, that’s the most important part.

Breath Awareness

The breath is an amazing tool for meditation because it’s right there with you wherever you are, 24/7, your whole life. And the stress-relieving effects of breathwork exercises have been extensively proven. 

There are many different techniques or ways to go about it. 

For starters, find a comfortable position, close your eyes, and turn your attention toward the breath. Focus on the sensations of the breath in your body. Where do you feel them more clearly? It could be the belly, the chest, or the tip of your nose. No need to control the breath, just notice it.

Thoughts will arise. That’s normal. Just let them come and go, and turn your attention back towards the breath.

You can try to silently count as you inhale and exhale. For example, you can count to four while inhaling and count to four again when exhaling. This makes it easier to focus.

Don’t worry if you get distracted often. Just go back to the breath. Concentration is a skill, and, as with any skill, you’ll get better with practice. So don’t give up, don’t skip a day. 

Open Awareness

Open awareness meditation involves letting attention—awareness—float freely. You are conscious, but not actively directing attention to anything specific. 

To practice it, choose a meditation position and let the environment open up to you. Do you notice any smells or sounds? Any fleeting thoughts or emotions? Any sensations in the body? Simply notice them and let them be, no need to focus on them. Just let them come and go.

This type of meditation allows us to cultivate an attitude of, well, openness, approaching anything that arises with curiosity and fresh eyes. Many practitioners of open awareness report a huge sense of peace, limitless love, and wholeness. 

Researchers found increased levels of gamma waves in the brain of open awareness meditators, which could account for the feeling of being completely attuned to the present moment.

In any case, this type of meditation is an opportunity to relax completely that can offer huge relief for our always busy minds. It’s a shift from doing to simply being.

Walking Meditation

Not all meditation techniques require sitting, and walking meditation is one such example. In walking meditation, the object of attention is the movement of your body.

To practice, pick a place in which you can walk a few steps—it doesn’t have to be a big area, you can do this in your bedroom or living room. 

Then, start taking steps very slowly, focusing your attention on the movement of your feet and the sensations when they touch and lift from the ground. Focus on how the heel separates from the ground, then the sole, then the ball of the foot, and then the toes. Then move your attention to the movement of the foot as it goes forward in the air, and how each part touches the ground. 

You can even mentally mention the steps to improve concentration, kind of like a mantra: “Heel, sole of the foot, ball of the foot, toes,” etc. 

You can see walking meditation explained in this video.

Walking meditation is just one example of active meditation styles. Other activities in which you can practice active meditation are Yoga, Tai Chi, or Qigong.

Visualization

In this type of meditation, the object of attention is an image that you recall or create in your mind as vividly as possible. Different images evoke different feelings, so your teacher will guide you through the visualization depending on what the goal of the meditation is. The idea is to be as immersed in the scene as possible.

At The Mind Movement, students are encouraged to meditate on their heartfelt desire: that which they long for the most in the depths of their hearts. Try to picture what that might look like for you. What do you want most in life? How do you want to feel—joyful, content, at peace?

Close your eyes and picture it in your mind, feel it in your body. How would it feel to be that joyful, that serene? Feeling it is the secret to manifesting it. Focus on that feeling not only in meditation but throughout the day.

Body Scan

Usually practiced while lying down, this type of meditation consists of scanning your body very slowly, from head to toe, bringing attention to one part at a time and to the sensations there: tension, discomfort, relaxation, etc.

So you focus on one part of your body—your big toe, for example—and while maintaining attention there, you inhale deeply, exhale, release tension, and surrender. Then you move to the next toe, and so on and so forth until you’ve gone over your whole body.

It’s a great technique to connect with and relax our bodies, as well as to sync body and mind. 

Other Types of Meditation 

• Chakra meditation – The chakras are 7 energy centers in the body. When these centers are blocked, we can feel tension and discomfort. Chakra meditation aims at unblocking and balancing the chakras so that energy can flow freely and naturally in the body, which leads to improved levels of mental and physical well-being.

• Transcendental meditation® – This is a very popular type of meditation that aims at transcending our thoughts to achieve a restful state of mind. It was developed by the Maharishi Foundation as a “simple, natural mental technique, practiced with the eyes closed while sitting comfortably.” It’s taught one-on-one by certified TM® instructors and practiced twice a day for 20 minutes. 

• Mantra meditation – This is a type of focused meditation in which the object of attention is a mantra—simple but powerful phrases, words, or even syllables—that you will repeat or chant non-stop throughout the meditation. It’s a great meditation technique for those who struggle with concentration and prefer something more active.

• Vipassana meditation – This is one of the most ancient Buddhist meditation techniques. Also known as “insight” meditation, Vipassana means “seeing things as they truly are,” which is achieved by focusing intensely on our thoughts and emotions to gain awareness of our patterns and the nature of consciousness. It’s basically just sitting—no mantra, no nothing—and purely witness.

• Metta meditation – Also known as loving-kindness meditation, this technique focuses on sending positive energy towards ourselves and other people (it can be people we know or total strangers). It has been shown to strengthen feelings of compassion and kindness and increase feelings of connection.

Final Remarks

Before we end this series, here are some tips and reminders about the practice of meditation:

• Always practice in the same place: pick a spot and set it up nicely. This spot should be clean and clear of clutter. Keep a mat and cushion there to sit on, or a chair if you can’t sit on the floor. 
• Make an appointment with yourself that you will meditate every day. This is very important. The commitment is with yourself.
• Preparation for meditation is just as important as meditation itself. Take a few moments before your practice to get into the right mindset.
• Concentration before meditation. What we teach here is, in reality, concentration. Real meditation is something few of us can even imagine. In order to meditate, we first need to learn how to concentrate. 

Remember: Where attention goes, energy flows. Everything we do at The Mind Movement is aimed at training your awareness to be in one place. This is one of the best skills you can learn in life.

When you master your awareness, you can direct your attention to what you really want, put your energy into that, and eventually manifest your heartfelt desire.

Meditation is the practice that brings it all together.