8 Types of Meditation

Meditation is an ancient practice that you’ve probably heard from multiple times already. From increasing focus, reducing stress or even reducing the risk of heart disease, Meditation has numeruos benefits. Everybody seems to be doing it, but what is it exactly that they are doing? And what type of meditation is best for you?

There isn’t a right or wrong way to meditate. There also really isn’t really a different way of Meditation. Meditation is a state of focused attention, emptiness of thoughts and feelings. But how do you achieve that state? This is where the Practice of Meditation comes to play.

Although Meditation is referred to as your natural state of being, for the ordinary person being in a thoughtless state-of-mind is almost unthinkable (pun intended). We are so used to being with our constant mind chatter. Think of it as a habit. Then think of Meditation as a practice to break that old pattern and build up the skill for this other state-of-mind.

There are many different kinds of Practices that one can use. None is better or “more pure” than the other. Just because one type of Meditation works perfectly fine for one person, it does not need to work well for another.

My advice for you would be to just be curious and try it out! You don’t have to pick one and stick to it, you can change your routine up as much as you want. Just stay open to whatever experience you have, adapt and keep practicing.

“Meditation is not a means to an end. It is both the means and the end.”
Jiddu Krishnamurti

Zen Meditation
Guided Meditation
Mindfulness Meditation
Loving-kindness Meditation
Mantra Meditation
Chanting
Moving Meditation
Gazing Meditation

Zen Meditation

Zen derives from the word Zazen, meaning “seated meditation“. It is rooted in the Chinese Zen Buddhism from the 6th century. The practice aims to simply sitting and letting all mind-workings pass by without judgment.

This type of Meditation is generally practiced in a seated position on the floor over a mat or cushion. Preferably you sit in Lotus or Half-Lotus. If however you experience any pain or discomfort, you can also sit on a chair. Just make sure to keep your spine straight however your seat of choice.

Zazen is usually taught in one of those two ways:

Focused attention: The main object of focus is usually the breath. With your eyes closed, try and be aware of your breath. Be aware of every aspect, i.e., the duration of your breath, how it feels in different parts of the body or how it sounds. If your focus drifts off, just gently guide it back to your breath.
Gentle Awareness: Here, no main object of focus is used. Instead, you simply allow everything that occurs to be. Every sensation, every thought, every feeling. The practice intends on remaining in the present moment without dwelling on anything that occurs in your mind.

“I have lived with several Zen masters – all of them cats.”
Eckhart Tolle

Guided Meditation

If you just start out on your Meditation journey, this might be your way to go. Guided Meditation are a somewhat modern phenoma that is made very accessible due to technology. You can find Guided Meditation on various platforms like Youtube and Spotify. There are also specific Apps (i.e. Headspace) that offer a variety of Guided Meditations.

There are many different types of Guided Meditations you can use:

Traditional Meditations: On Youtube, many Guided Meditations by spiritual teachers are available. Their voices walk you through your Meditation practice by gently guiding your attention. Some teachers I’d recommend to you are Thich Nhat Hanh, Mooji, Tara Brach or Davidji.
Affirmations: If you want to imprint a certain message on your mind, this might be for you. Affirmation-Meditation usually starts with a relaxation part and then moves on to repeating certain words or sentences. Mantra-Meditation works in a quite similar way.
Body-Relaxations: Often accompanied with binaural beats, these Meditations lead to a deep relaxation. A technique often used is a whole-body-scan. This type of Meditation is closely connected to Yoga Nidra.
Visualizations: Here, you will be guided to a calm and serene place inside your mind. By activating your minds creativity, these types of visualizations usually aim at healing or relaxation.

Mindfulness Meditation

You probably have come around the term Mindfulness already. It’s a Meditation-technique mostly adapted from Buddhist techniques. John Kabat-Zinn is one of the main influences that spread Mindfulness in the West with his Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (MBSR).

Mindfulness can be practiced in a variety of situations like mindful eating, walking or doing chores. This technique combines concentration and awareness.

Whilst having a primary object of Meditation, you are also aware of everything else that may be going on (thoughts, feelings, sensations). You practice recognizing what is at this very moment without dwelling on it, judging or interpreting. Then, gently bring your awareness back to your object of focus.

You can practice Mindfulness in every moment of your everyday life. Of course, you can also have a more formal approach to it by sitting down in lotus or half-lotus. In the beginning, start by scanning your whole body. Acknowledge where you are at and be in the present without judgment.

Slowly, shift your focus to your object of Meditation (i.e. your breath). Whenever your mind wanders off, simply recognize this and gently bringt your attention back. This is very similar to Zen-Meditation and in-time you might progress your practice on to Zazen.

“Mindfulness meditation is the embrace of any and all mind states in awareness, without preferring one to another.”
John Kabat-Zinn

Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta-Meditation)

I first came across this Meditation during my Yoga-Teacher-Training in 2020 and, at least for me, it is one of the most powerful and transformative types of meditation. Metta means goodwill and kindness in Pali. It derives from Theravada and Tibetan lineages, which are Buddhist traditions.

Sit down in a meditation seat of your choice, close your eyes and start generating a feeling of love, compassion and kindness. In the order shown below, you wish that loving-kindness for:

Yourself
A person you love
A neutral person
A person that deeply hurt you
All of the above equally
For the entire universe

You will realize that from practicing this more often, it will become easier for you to feel loving-kindness. Reciting specific words or sentences may help you in doing so (i.e.: May you be happy. May you feel peace. May you be healthy. May your life be filled with joy and serenity). It also helps to visualize that specific person or the suffering of others. You can also visualize that warm, loving feeling pouring out from you.

Mantra Meditation

In contrast to affirmations, a Mantra is usually a word without meaning and not repeated to convince yourself of something. Some say the choice of the word or mantra is important though, since it conveys a certain spiritual meaning and vibration. Others say a Mantra is simply a tool to focus the mind which for some is easier than by focusing on the breath.

Mantras are used in Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Jainism. “OM” is the most known Mantra in the Western World, and some understand Mantra-Meditation as similar to Om-Meditation. Mantra-Meditation can be a religious practice by reciting sounds that are the name of god, but it can also be completely detached from religion.

To practice Mantra-Meditation, sit down in your Meditation position with a straight spine. During the whole session, your Mantra is repeated. This can be done silently in your mind or spoken out loud. Some link their Mantras to a certain kind of rhythm in breath. Traditionally, a Mantra is repeated 108 or 1008 times.

Here are some common Mantras often used:

Om
Om mani padme hum
Rama
So Ham
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Chanting

Chanting is a type of Mantra-Meditation. Instead of just repeating the Mantra, it is sung with a certain rhythm and breath. I highly recommend you try it out yourself sometime. I myself was very skeptical of it but now find it to be one of my favorite forms of Meditations.

Luckily in our digital world, you can find many Chants on youtube or spotify that you can simply sing along to. I’d recommend you check out Deva Premal or David Lurey on that matter. Put a Chant on your speaker, sit down in your Meditation-posture with your spine erect, close your eyes and sing along. Don’t worry, you’ll come to know the lyrics quite fast.

Some popular chants are:

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
Gayati Mantra
Om Mani Padme Hum
Sita Ram

Moving Meditation

If you are one of those that find sitting still for a long time too difficult, Moving-Meditation might be for you. For some, concentrating whilst moving is easier. You can also start with Moving-Meditation and then progress to another form of Meditation, as it may help you to calm your thoughts.

There are many different forms of Moving-Meditation like Walking-Meditation. Here, you simply walk and focus on the sensations of your body. It’s best practiced barefoot. Try to really experience yourself walking, how every part of your feet touches and lifts from the ground or how your shoulders gently move up and down.

Yoga, of course, is also a type of Moving-Meditation, even though Yoga consists of way more than just the physical postures (asanas). Tai Chi and other Material arts are also associated with Moving-Meditation.

Gazing Meditation (Trataka)

Gazing Meditation stems from the Yogic Traditions. It is a very powerful type of Meditation that trains both your concentration and visualization abilities of your mind.

Sit down in your Meditation-Seat and have an object of focus (yantra) in front of you. Typically used are candles, symbols or images. I really like to use the moon or the rising sun. At first, your eyes are open, and you gaze at your Yantra. Key is to relax your eyes while doing so.

After a few minutes, your eyes will tear up and feel the need to close. Now close your eyes and keep the mental image of your Yantra in your mind. You can repeat this process a few times. After you are finished, wash your eyes with cold water.

Don’t practice Trataka for more than 10Minutes (especially if you practice it without a teacher). Also, if you practice with a candle, make sure to take some days or week of practice in between. If in the beginning of your practice you aren’t able to gaze at something for more than a few seconds, don’t worry as you will get better with time.

I found practicing Trataka-Meditation a really powerful way to deepen my sense of focus and concentration. It helped me tremendously with other closed-eye meditation forms. I even wrote a whole blogpost on Trataka Meditation, that you can check out!

“When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a candle in a windless place.”
Bhagavad Gita

Final words

The Meditation-Techniques above are just an example of a few you can try out. Of course, there are many more. The Yogic-Tradition alone holds many more powerful practices like Chakra-Meditation or Kundalini-Yoga.

With all that said, don’t feel overwhelmed by it. My advice for you would be to stay curious and open-minded. Try out what sparks an interest in you and don’t feel disheartened if something just doesn’t feel right.

Just like with everything, your journey to Meditation is a unique one. As you progress in your practice, you will grow more confident in what feels right for you and what simply doesn’t.

It makes no sense to force yourself to do a specific type of Meditation just because you heard that “this is it”. I myself was in that kind of mindset for a long time, forcing myself through some Meditation-Methods that, after all, at least during that time just weren’t for me.

In addition, think of Meditation as a training. The ability to be in a meditative state of mind is a muscle that will build over time and continuous practice. Even though there are many instant benefits that come from Meditation, it is indeed a life-long practice that will bear many fruits for you.

Most importantly, have fun on your journey and go into it with a light and open heart. Meditation is not supposed to be another unnerving chore on your to-do list, but instead a well-needed time to find some stillness and come back to yourself.

“Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.”
Marcus Aurelius