An ancient practice used to focus one’s mind and deepen one’s awareness, meditation offers many benefits including improving immunity and reducing stress. There are many types of meditation, with some using visualisation, sound, movement and more.
Everyday Health notes that mediation has religious and spiritual roots in cultures all around the world, with descriptions of the practice’s techniques found in ancient Indian scriptures from 3000 years ago. Although, Healthline states that meditation does not belong to any particular religion or faith.
It is also important to note that even though there is no right or wrong way to meditate, there are a few ways to embrace the practice.
But the question is, which type is best for you?
Below are nine types of meditation listed by Healthline.
Focused meditation
If you wish to sharpen your focus and attention, this type is for you.
Focused meditation involves concentration using any of the five senses – vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. It can be quite tricky to hold your focus if your mind tends to wander. Try focusing on something internal (your breath) or external (listening to a gong).
Loving-kindness meditation
Feeling as if you constantly hold onto anger and resentment? This meditation type is intended to promote compassion, kindness, and acceptance toward oneself and others.
The technique usually involves opening one’s mind to receive love from others and then sending well wishes to all living beings.
Mantra meditation
Not a fan of silence or enjoy repetition? This one’s for you.
Prominent in Hindu and Buddhist traditional teachings, mantra meditation uses a repetitive sound to clear the mind. This can be through the repetition of a sound, phrase, or sound, the most common being “om.”
“Your mantra can be spoken loudly or quietly. After chanting the mantra for some time, you’ll be more alert and in tune with your environment. This allows you to experience deeper levels of awareness,” explains Healthline.
Mindfulness meditation
This is the most popular type of meditation used in the West. It is used by those who do not have a teacher to guide them.
During mindfulness meditation, people pay attention to their thoughts as it passes through their mind, simply observing and taking notes of any patterns.
Movement meditation
Movement meditation is good for people who find peace in action and want to develop body awareness, says Healthline. The movements guide the individual into a deeper connection with their body and the present moment.
These movements include:
- walking
- gardening
- qi gong
- tai chi
- other gentle forms of movement
Progressive relaxation
If you are looking to relieve stress and promote relaxation in your life, try this form of meditation.
Progressive relaxation often involves slowly tightening and relaxing one muscle group at a time throughout the body.
Spiritual meditation
Spiritual meditation is beneficial for those seeking a deeper connection to a higher power or spiritual force.
A 2017 study states that this practice includes the following examples:
- Christian contemplative prayer
- Sufi dhikr (remembrance of God)
- Jewish kabbalistic practices
Transcendental Meditation (MT)
Dive into this practice if you wish to have an accessible approach to the depth that meditation offers.
Best taught by a certified TM practitioner, this technique was founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and refers to a specific practice designed to quiet the mind, inducing a state of calm and peace.
Visualisation meditation
If you aim to boost your mind, reduce stress levels, and promote inner peace, try enhancing feelings of relaxation, peace, and calmness with visualisation meditation.
Regarding what you can visualise, this can be vividly imagined positive scenes, images, or figures. You would also add your five senses to add as much detail as possible.
