33 Types of Meditation Explained Simply for Beginners

You have ten minutes to spare, right?

Ten minutes a day spent in stillness can change your life.

Commit to a daily meditation practice to silence your mind and calm your energy.

Here Is A Beginner’s Guide To 33 Types Of Meditation:

#1 Kundalini Meditation

In Eastern traditions, Kundalini is the name for the cosmic energy that resides within you. Kundalini meditation uses mudras (hand positions), breath work, mantras, and even physical movements. The benefits of practicing this meditation include heightened creativity, increased sexual energy, emotional balance, and greater vitality.

#2 Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is an effective and simple way to meditate. Mindfulness is, basically, being aware of our mind and our body; being aware of sensations that occur in our physical body, and emotions and thoughts as they pass through our head.

#3 Primordial Sound Meditation

This technique is a classic form of meditation that enhances all aspects of well-being, mainly with the help of a primordial sound or a mantra. The mantra used is personal for each meditator and is repeated silently.

#4 Qi Gong Meditation

Qi Gong meditation, also known as the Six Healing Sounds, activates the body’s feel-good chemicals while you focus on positive thoughts so that positive emotions get bonded with healthy information. The more we practice the Qi Gong meditation, the more effective it will be.

#5 Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental meditation (TM) is the most popular meditation practice in the United States. It was introduced to the Western world by Maharshi Mahesh Yogi. He is reported to have trained more than 40,000 TM teachers. The organization was estimated to have 900,000 participants worldwide in 1977, and 5 million in more recent years.

This technique involves the use of a sound called a mantra, and is practiced for 15–20 minutes twice a day. Research shows that daily TM practice improves creativity and productivity, and also helps mitigate our food cravings since it helps to balance our physical and mental state.

Learn more at www.tm.org

#6 Pranayama (Breathing) Meditation

In this meditation, we only focus our awareness on the breath at the nose tip/nostrils, and not on any other point of the body. Pranayama practice reduces anxiety, stress, and negative emotions and sharpens our concentration skills.

#7 Walking Meditation

This meditation method can be just as profound as any type of sitting meditation and has the power of bringing the meditative mental state into our day-to-day activity. According to the meditation master Thich Nhat Hanh – ”In order to have joy and peace, you must succeed in having peace within each of your steps. Your steps are the most important thing.”

#8 Tao Meditation

Taoism (Daoism) is a Chinese religion and philosophy, dating back to Lao Tzu. Tao meditation works on all three levels of the ”Three Treasures”: energy (breath), essence (body), and spirit (mind). By practicing this Buddhist meditation, we will become more grounded and spiritually and emo­tionally balanced.

#9 Tonglen Meditation

The tonglen meditation is a Tibetan practice that trains us to let in suffering and offer out compassion. Furthermore, this meditation helps us to deal effectively with stressful situations and difficult people.

Learn more at www.tarabrach.com

#10 Heart Rhythm Meditation (HRM)

In HRM we learn to synchronize our breath with our heartbeat. Our breathing rhythm affects the physical heart, and the physical heart reflects our internal physiological and our emotions. This easy method creates deep and satisfying meditations.

#11 Vipassana Meditation

Vipassana, or insight meditation, is a type of meditation that teaches us to accept things the way they are. It is considered to be the form of meditation practice taught by Shakyamuni Buddha himself. This meditation technique helps purify the mind from the forces of hatred, greed, and delusion, which are the causes of all our suffering.

Learn more at www.dhamma.org

#12 Trataka Meditation

Trataka is a Hatha Yoga method that has to do with gazing at the eyes at one point, either on a candle flame or on an object. Practicing Trataka has a beneficial effect in treating and even resolving several eye disorders, such as weak eyesight. Moreover, it improves the external and internal optic function.

#13 Christian Meditation

In this meditation, we surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit so that He can unite us to Christ and perfect our prayer to the Father. Also, Christian meditation can be practiced by focusing on a single word or on a verse from the Bible.

#14 Chakra Meditation

The Chakra meditation technique focuses on the chakras (the energy centers in our body) that regulate our mental, physical, and emotional well-being. When energy is blocked in any of the chakras or nadis, it can lead to emotional or physical distress.

#15 Sahaj Samadhi Meditation

This practice is an effortless form of meditation that focuses on the mantra chanting and breath during the meditation process. Daily practice of Sahaj Samadhi meditation can transform the quality of one’s life, by culturing the system to maintain expanded awareness throughout the day.

#16 Zen Meditation (Zazen)

Zazen is practiced sitting on a zafu, in the half lotus or full lotus position. This practice can help combat stress, helps with chronic pain, fosters physical health, can make us sleep better, be more peaceful, feel happier, as well as be more present in the now.

Learn more at www.zen-buddhism.net

#17 Mantra (Japa) Meditation

With Japa meditation, also known as mantra meditation, the use of a mantra is used to focus the thoughts while quieting the mind. Prolonged and constant repetition of a mantra for some months cuts new grooves in the mind.

#18 Acem meditation

Acem meditation belongs to a family of techniques that uses a non-religious meditation sound to facilitate relaxation and an open, accepting attitude towards feelings, thoughts, and other experiences.

Learn more at www.acem.com

#19 Yoga Nidra Meditation

Yoga Nidra, also known as ”Yoga for Sleep,” is a technique that increases awareness of sensation in the muscular, connective, and nerve tissues, by breathing into those areas and sending signals for relaxation.

#20 Gong Meditation

Practicing gong meditation, or as it is popularly called – gong bath, will leave us feeling revitalized and refreshed. In addition, this technique promotes a state of deep relaxation and triggers the act of inspiration and creation.

#21 Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Programs in MBSR, pioneered by meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn, have brought this technique into hospitals and other clinical settings. This practice uses a combination of body awareness, mindfulness meditation, and yoga positions to help people become more healthy.

#22 Merkaba Meditation

The Mer-Ka-Ba energetic field is extremely complex and involves sacred polyhedrons. Practicing this meditation helps us to achieve a higher state of consciousness where we are aware of several fields of energy around us.

#23 White Light Meditation

This method does not need expert supervision or initiation. Practicing white light meditation transforms our thoughts into reality by infusing divine manifesting power into the subtle energies of our thoughts and aspirations so that they manifest in the physical world.

#24 Guided Meditation

In a guided meditation, either recorded or live, one is voice-guided step-by-step through a meditative experience. Here is a wonderful guided meditation session:

#25 Violet Flame Meditation

The violet flame, also called the violet fire meditation, is a unique spiritual practice that can help us in all areas of our life. It can heal physical and emotional problems, help us to grow spiritually, and improve our relationships.

#26 Gratitude Meditation

The purpose of the gratitude meditation is to cultivate a gentle and open feeling of thankfulness for all that is good in your life.

#27 Dzogchen Meditation

In Tibetan, Dzogchen means “the Great Perfection” and represents the state of contemplation beyond the mind, just being in and finding oneself in that state. Note – this practice is for advanced meditators.

Note – this practice is for advanced meditators.

Learn more at www.dzogchen.org

#28 Samatha Meditation

Samatha meditation, also known as calming meditation, is a gentle but effective method of training the mind to develop freedom from turmoil and inner strength.

Learn more at www.samatha.org

#29 Body Scan Meditation

This is a method where we focus on each individual body part in turn, from head to toe to induce complete relaxation.

#30 Observing-Thought Meditation

Observing-thought meditation can offer insight into any habitual patterns of thinking and related reactions. More importantly, this technique can also help us take our thoughts less personally, and not automatically believe them.

#31 Grounding Meditation

Practicing this meditation will help to align our energies with the earth’s energies so that we feel refreshed, calm, and at peace. Also, it is best to use it whenever we are feeling off balance or our energy levels are low.

#32 Samarpan Meditation

This technique is an ancient yet simple meditation that connects us with the Universal Consciousness. Practicing samarpan meditation can help one experience unlimited happiness and peace.

Learn more at www.samarpanmeditation.org

#33 Loving-Kindness Meditation

This method uses phrases of friendliness to evoke authentic feelings of compassion and love toward ourselves, our loved ones, and even our enemies.

“Without loving-kindness, staying in pain is just warfare.” – Pema Chodron.