Types of Meditation

The different types of meditation help keep your body and mind healthy. Meditative practices have existed for centuries and since the last couple of decades, the use of  meditation has increased due to the rise of interest about the teaching of the eastern cultures and the stress and anxiety of modern life.

Beside a practice for spiritual growth or a way to enlightment, people also use meditation with specific purposes such as:

meditation for anxiety
meditation for pain relief

The different types of meditation techniques that have evolved from Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism can be classified under five categories:

Concentration
Reflective Meditation
Mindfulness Meditation
Heart-Centered Meditation
Creative Meditation
Concentration Meditation

Concentration is at the heart of all the types of meditation, but in some techniques, focus is predominantly on building concentration. Why is concentration so important?

This is because in order to gain the fruits of meditation, you need to train the mind to concentrate and focus on an object or nothingness, that is to cut all distractions. This allows your mind to be calm and awaken beyond thought elaboration and even beyond your sense of self. Once you hold this view of awareness, you can use it for your wellness and for the greater good. It is more correct to say that it affects positively all the beings, yourself included.

There are several types of meditation techniques in concentration meditation category that can help you overcome distractions within and outside your mind and sustain mental focus. The different types of techniques that will help you gain concentration include: 

Zen meditation
Transcendental Meditation
Om meditation
Shine Meditation or Samadhi
Chakra Meditation
Reflective Meditation

Reflective meditation is also known as analytical meditation and refers to disciplined thinking. In order to successfully practice reflective meditation, you will need to choose a question, theme, or topic and focus your analysis or reflection upon it. Initially, your thoughts may wander to other topics but then you need to train your mind to come back to the topic in question. In order to do this, you need to learn concentration meditation first.

As you practice this every day, your mind will be more in control and not wander off. It is one of the most important types of meditation and is considered to have a calming effect on the mind. It stimulates transformative power and provides you with great conviction and strength to change the course of your life.

There are different types of questions or reflective ideas that you can focus on, such as:

Who am I?
What is the true purpose of my life?
What is my role in this universe?
How can I help remove the sufferings of others?

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is one the most powerful and alternative meditation techniques, which lays emphasis on cultivating a highly receptive mindful attention toward any action or objects within your sphere of influence.

Mindfulness meditation is one of the important meditation types that helps you learn a simple thing: to pay attention or be "mindful". This type of meditation is known to provide pain relief and help for those suffering from anxiety and depression. There are different types of techniques in this category that you can practice, like:

Vipassana meditation - read what Olga writes about it !
Deep breathing meditation
Body scan meditation
Visualization meditation
Mindful breathing
Mindful eating
Sitting Meditation
Walking Meditation

Heart-Centered Meditation

Heart-centered meditation will help you release all your fears and sadness and bathe in the radiance of loving kindness and compassion. It is also known as the heart chakra meditation. Practicing this meditation over a period of time will help you to heal your heart and that of others.

This meditation technique helps in opening the heart chakra and removes any negative energy that exists. In order to practice this meditation technique, choose a quiet place, set the right posture and focus on the heart area while inhaling and exhaling slowly but smoothly. You can also connect your heart to the heart of a teacher or a person you feel that is compassionate. This is considered as one of the important types of meditation techniques.

Creative Meditation or Visualization

A different type of meditation technique, this form of meditation will enable you to consciously cultivate as well as strengthen different qualities of your mind. It focuses on strengthening qualities, such as appreciation, joy, compassion, patience, empathy, love, gratitude, compassion, humility, fearlessness, and tenderness, among others.

What are the Benefits of Meditation? 

People often ask teachers, "What are the benefits of meditation?" Researchers are beginning to explore this in a serious fashion. Where meditation was once the sole province of monks, it is now the domain of the public. We all are capable of meditating. We all can benefit from what this practice has to offer us.

We can begin by clarifying what meditation is not. As Vietnamese Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh clearly indicates, “Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness, we know what to do and what not to do to help.”

Simply stated, meditation is not a means of escaping the problems of our personal world and the world beyond. It is a means through which we can find a way to help the world.

Learning meditation means discovering a world in which we can help remove the negativity. We replace it with positive thoughts and actions. It's possible, through meditation, to achieve physical, mental, emotional and spiritual changes that enrich us, and all with whom we come into contact.

What is the Goal of Meditation?

The absolute goal of meditation in religion and philosophy is enlightenment, that is the realization of the true nature of the mind. By drawing deep into our consciousness and directing the mind, we can discover reality. By cultivating the practice, we can develop positive approaches to our life. We will no longer be intermittently happy. We will achieve true happiness. Also, this is but one of the observable effects of meditation. Others include:

Stress reduction
Improvement of health
Enhanced performance
Personal insight

Other goals are possible and even common in meditation. Some practitioners incorporate meditation into their exercise routine. It helps them focus on their tasks. Yoga is one practice that is completely compatible with meditation. It incorporates pranayama – a type of breathing. Proper breathing is necessary in meditation. In fact, correct meditation cannot exist without paying specific concern to the preparatory work.

Preparing for Meditation

Before we can begin to meditate, we have to “set the scene.” This is important whether the meditation is done alone or in a group. Preparation includes the following:

Wear something that is comfortable.
Evoke or invite the spirits, Gods, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or other beings – if so inclined or oriented.
Arrange your meditation pillow, mat or chair.
Sit down with your back straight. This allows the energy to flow freely.
Place your legs comfortably. Assume a lotus, half-lotus or legs-crossed position, only if it works for you.
Calm your mind through breathing techniques. Only after we accomplish this should we start meditating.

Only when we have established a daily practice can we expect to experience any of the benefits of meditation available to us all.

Achieving Positive Results 

It is not easy to bring to fruition all the benefits of meditation. While some, such as a decrease in stress may materialize quickly, others, such as spiritual enlightenment will not. It's critical to realize the importance of establishing a practice. It must be consistent. It must have a goal in mind. It also must have your devotion. If we do not adhere to the principles of meditation, it will remain forever simply a form of exercise and relaxation.

Meditation Techniques 

Knowledge of proper meditation techniques leads to self healing and spiritual awareness. Meditation is the backbone of spirituality and a journey that will increase your spiritual experience.

I believe that living life with awareness and presence is The Meditation. Even though it is a matter of taking a different perspective, we can think of it also as an easy meditation technique.

Breathing Techniques

Meditation exercises help in increasing focus and awareness. It helps us to connect our soul with the physical body and mind and thus opens the doors to knowledge, wisdom, and wellness. The most powerful way to meditate and achieve your goals is by focusing on your breathing. There are some common breathing techniques that are incorporated in meditation and these include:

Pranayama

It is considered to be an exact science and its primary focus lies in regulation of your breathing or controlling of Prana. This is done by stopping inhalation and exhalation. By controlling your inspiratory and expiratory breathing, you can control your subtle prana, which translates into controlling your mind. Controlling your mind through Pranayama will help you to remove the impurities in your body. In order to succeed in Pranayama meditation, you will need to practice it regularly in a solitary and pleasant spot, where you will be far from external disturbances.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing is different than pranayama. Breathing is known to be connected to our autonomic nervous system as well as the mind. Hence, you need to consciously practice diaphragmatic breathing during early mornings and prior to sunset. In this type of breathing, you will need to ensure that there is no pause between inhalation and exhalation or vice-versa. You need to breathe slowly and smoothly.

Mindful Breathing

Mindfulness breathing is a Buddhist technique. It primary aim is to help you focus on your own breathing. The concept is to focus on your breathing as you breathe in-and-out and this is known as mindfulness-of-breathing. Focusing on breathing will help you to develop concentration. Initially, most people are unable to focus on their breathing and in such a scenario, counting the breaths can be helpful.

Chakra Breathing Meditation

Chakra Meditation focuses on breathing energy through the chakras. There are seven chakras in our body, including:

Root chakra on the base of spine
Sacral chakra situated in the lower abdomen
Solar plexus chakra situated in the solar plexus
Heart chakra located at the chest center
Throat chakra in the throat
Third Eye chakra located at the forehead center
Crown chakra at the top of the skull or head

The Chakra breathing will assist in and improve the flow of energy in and out of your body through the various chakras located in the different parts of your body. Breathing while putting your awareness over each chakra will create harmony and balance positive energy flow in your body thus keeping you healthy physically and emotionally.

Other Meditation Techniques and Exercises

There are several meditation exercises that you can practice in order to create a balance between your mind, body, and soul.

Two of them are called Samatha and Vipassana and are the basis to deepen your meditation experience and its power.

Once you have trained yourself with them, you have also the possibility to practice through most of your actions in daily life. I like to call it “Life Practice Meditation” and it is an easy meditation technique.


Some of the other common and powerful meditation techniques that you can practice include Tibetan Buddhist Mahamudra and Dzogchen meditation, Transcendental Meditation, Zen Meditation, Tai Chi Meditation, and Kundalini.