What is Meditation?

Meditation is a mental practice that involves training your attention and awareness to achieve a state of calm and inner peace. It can be practiced in a variety of ways, but the goal is often to achieve a state of focused relaxation that reduces stress, anxiety, and negative emotions, or to achieve a sense of connection with the self or others. Some types of meditation involve a spiritual element or are used as part of a religious practice. Let's take a look at some of the most important types of meditation practiced around the world today.

Buddhist Meditation Techniques

Meditation is a fundamental part of the Buddhist religious practice. Buddhists follow the teachings of the Buddha, a historical figure who achieved enlightenment through intensive meditation practice. Here are a few of the most important types of Buddhist meditation.

• Zen Meditation (Zazen) — a form of meditation that originates from the Chinese Zen Buddhist tradition. It involves sitting, either in half-lotus position or in a chair, and keeping the back completely straight. The gaze rests on the ground. Meanwhile, the mind focuses on the breath, often using a counting pattern.

• Vipassana Meditation — this type of meditation involves focusing on the breath and observing the sensations in the body without judgment, in order to develop a calm mind and state of peaceful observance. For example, practitioners might focus on the sensations of breath passing into the nostrils, inflating the lungs, and passing out of the body again.

• Mindfulness Meditation — a type of meditation that involves paying close attention to the present moment without any judgment, cultivating a sense of awareness and acceptance. It can be practiced while sitting, walking, or doing other activities.

• Loving Kindness Meditation (Metta Meditation) — a form of meditation that involves cultivating feelings of compassion, kindness, and goodwill towards oneself and others. Practitioners often start by wishing themselves well, before progressing to having feelings of kindness toward their friends, neutral acquaintances, difficult people in their lives, and finally toward the entire universe.

Hindu Meditation Techniques

• Mantra Meditation (OM Meditation) — this type of meditation involves repeating a mantra, such as "Om", to focus the mind. You might repeat the mantra for a certain period of time, or for a certain number of repetitions. You can use beads to keep count.

• Transcendental Meditation (TM) — registered teachers of Transcendental Meditation teach people around the world this specific meditation technique. It involves the use of a mantra and is performed with the eyes closed.

• Yogic Meditations — yogic meditation is one part of a yoga practice, which may also include postures and breathing exercises. Yoga is a rich and very ancient tradition, which has many different forms.

• Self-Enquiry and "I Am" Meditation — the 20th-century Indian sage Ramana Maharshi developed self-enquiry meditation. The aim is to focus the attention on the self, which is defined by a pure, subjective feeling of existing.

Chinese Meditation Techniques

• Taoist Meditations — Taoist meditation techniques focus on insight, concentration, and visualization. They are usually done sitting cross-legged on the floor, with half-closed eyes.

• Qigong — meaning "life energy cultivation," qigong is a meditation technique used in martial arts training. It involves slow body movements and regulated breathing. Seated qigong meditation involves sitting still and feeling the qi ("life force") flowing around the body.

Christian Meditation

Although the word "meditation" is typically associated with Eastern religions, Christianity also involves contemplative practices, such as prayer, reading, and "sitting with God." When considering the question "what is meditation?" it's important to include these traditions, as they share many of the same goals as many Eastern meditation practices.

Sufi Meditation Techniques

Sufism is an Islamic practice. Sufi meditation techniques involve many different practices, including heartbeat meditation, gazing meditation, walking meditation, whirling, and breathing meditations.

Guided Meditations

As meditation has grown in popularity, a great variety of guided meditations have been created to help people unfamiliar with the tradition get started with meditation. Guided meditation usually involves listening to spoken instructions, which might guide the meditator to visualize particular scenes or to focus on particular sensations. Some guided meditations include instrumental music or binaural beats, while others include long periods of silence with only occasional instructions.

With so many different types of meditation, it is possible for anyone interested in trying meditation to get started in a way that works for them. Many people find it easiest to start with guided meditations, whereas others feel drawn to one of the other meditation techniques. A great way to get started with meditation is to reach out to a trusted meditation service provider for more information and guidance.