The Different Meditation Techniques and What They Do

Between 200 and 500 million people meditate globally. The practice has been taught in Eastern cultures for thousands of years.

Researchers aren’t certain how old meditation truly is. Though, the oldest written records can be traced back to ancient India and China. Meditation is also found in many different theologies, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Taoism.

Meditation provides numerous health benefits for your body, mind, and spirit. Research even suggests that meditation can increase the size of specific brain regions. And many different meditation techniques can help achieve similar results.

So, if you’re interested in learning about this ancient practice, keep reading to learn about ancient relaxation techniques and how they work.

Guided Meditation

Guided meditation is the easiest way to be introduced to meditative practice. It’s a useful meditation for beginners because you’ll be guided by a teacher. You can choose from a wide variety of meditation formats, and the teacher will explain how to do it.

Common guided meditations include mindfulness, yoga, and visualization. You can also find guided meditations on apps and audio formats, or you can find a teacher in person.

Mindfulness Meditation

If you’d like to skip guided meditations, mindfulness meditation is a great place to start. The best part about mindfulness meditation is that you can perform it anywhere. It involves being fully present in your body without letting your mind clutter the now.

The easiest way to perform mindfulness meditation is by focusing on what you’re doing (like reading this article) and staying present in the moment. The practice of mindfulness can help ground you to the Earth and ease issues like anxiety and depression.

Mantra Meditation

Mantra meditation is a tradition that was popular in Buddhist and Hindu traditions. It involves repeating a word, phrase, or sound to help clear your mind. It’s also a great practice for people who find silent meditation challenging.

A common example of mantra meditation is the repetition of the phrase “Om,” which is the sacred symbol of Hinduism. You can chant this phrase (or come up with your own) and experience a deeper sense of awareness, peace, and focus.

Chakra Meditation

Chakra meditations focus on healing and balancing your body’s chakra points. Chakras are the ancient Sanskrit concept referring to the energy centers of the body. Each chakra is located in a different part of the body and has its own distinct color.

Chakra meditation can involve sounds that stimulate the chakra centers. Or you can visualize the chakras and their colors.

One common issue with chakra and Chi meditations is getting too cold. So you can use heat therapy from https://heathealer.com to enhance your meditations.

Yoga Meditation

Most people don’t know this, but yoga is an ancient meditative practice created in India. There are countless yoga styles, such as Kundalini, Hatha, and Vinyasa. Each of these yoga practices has its own benefits and levels of difficulty.

You don’t have to be a meditation expert to start yoga meditations. Most practices have beginner levels, so you can learn what to do. Yoga can also help increase the flow of Chi, make your body more flexible, and help you increase bodily awareness.

Visualization Meditation

Visualization meditation is a meditative practice used for anxiety relief and to promote mental peace. Many people use visualization as a way to manifest specific goals. Others use it simply to de-stress from long, challenging days at work.

Visualization involves imagining a scene that promotes peace, like a hug from a loved one or a beautiful meadow. Or, you can imagine yourself nailing an interview and getting a job you’ve wanted. The practice can help you achieve a calm mind.

Spiritual Meditation

Spiritual meditation is a general term describing meditative religious practices. You may not know it, but every religion practices its own form of meditation. For example, Christians have contemplative prayer, and Muslims have routine daily prayers.

Technically, most forms of meditation on this list are spiritual because they all come from specific religions. And types of spiritual meditation depend on the religious tradition. Though, anyone can practice spiritual meditation to connect with a higher power.

Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental meditation (TM) may sound complicated, but it’s actually quite simple. It involves choosing a word or phrase which you repeat mentally. This practice is a form of mantra meditation that helps you quiet the mind and find a sense of inner peace.

Scientific studies show that TM could be an alternative therapy for people with anxiety. The best way to perform the practice is seated, eyes closed, for 20 minutes a day.

Vipassana Meditation

Vipassana meditation is the main influence of the mindfulness movement. The practice involves seeing thoughts and emotions for what they really are. This is done without judgment and allows you to gain insight into your life and the reality of this world.

Vipassana is one of India’s most ancient meditative practices. It was founded by Buddha and dates back at least 2500 years. Use it to bring balance to your life.

Movement Meditation

Movement meditation is another excellent way to harness the meditative state. It’s especially useful for people who have a hard time sitting still.

Movement meditation can be as simple as walking or as detailed as Chi Gong and Tai Chi. You can practice outside, with a group, or by yourself. You can also use the different practices to ground yourself and connect with the present moment.

Choose from the Different Meditation Techniques

We hope you enjoyed our list of different meditation techniques. There’s a meditation for everyone, so pick one that looks interesting and try it out! If you want to learn how to meditate, look for guided meditations online to get started.

For more meditation articles, visit our blog’s health section today.

Kenneth

Kenneth is a proud native of sydney, born and raised there. However, he pursued his education abroad and studied in Australia. Kenneth has worked as a journalist for almost a decade, making valuable contributions to prominent publications such as Yahoo News and The Verge. Currently, he serves as a journalist for The Hear Up, where he focuses on covering climate and science news. You can reach Kenneth at [email protected].