Meditation is the one habit that many have preached about the most. And it's because of the countless benefits that it can bring into your life. However, it is one of the most challenging habits to build. And this is because we often try to force ourselves to stick to a certain form of meditation that may not suit us. When this happens, we are naturally met with a lot of resistance, and it often feels like we are wasting our time. This is why I want to go over 7 of the most common forms of meditation. How each of them works, what benefits each brings, and who each of them is for so that you can find the one best suited for you and your needs allowing you to build the habit easier with more success.
1. Mindfulness Breathing Meditation
Well, basically, you focus on the sensation of breathing – the feeling of air going in your nose and out your mouth, and whenever a thought appears, you notice it, let it float away, and then you bring your attention back to your breathing. The key here is actually the noticing; that's where the word mindful comes from. You are practicing your ability to observe your thoughts without judgment.
What sort of benefits does this form of meditation bring?
I want to start by saying that almost all forms of meditation share some of the same benefits, such as stress reduction, self-control, and focus. So I won't be bringing these things up unless the form of meditation we're talking about is especially good at producing a particular result. Now - mindfulness breathing meditation falls under the scientific category of what's called Open Awareness Meditations. Where you focus on becoming aware of your thoughts and feelings, these forms of meditation have increased your creativity levels drastically. Allowing you to come up with many different ideas and solutions to problems. It also trains you to let go of your thoughts. We all have negative thoughts about things throughout the day. But - when we start thinking more about these thoughts, that's when we actually begin to experience negative emotions. Mindfulness breathing meditation teaches you to notice such thoughts and let them float away, preventing overthinking and the negative side effects that come with it.
2. Metta Meditation
This form of meditation is also known as "Loving Kindness Meditation ." When you practice Metta Meditation, your goal is to send love in several directions. You start by visualizing and sending love towards yourself by repeating a predetermined phrase like "May I be happy" or "May I be healthy" in your head. After a while, you do the same thing to a friend, then to a stranger, then to someone you dislike, and finally to the universe as a whole. What sort of benefits does this form of meditation bring?
Well, Loving Kindness meditation is well known for increasing empathy towards other people. It has also been shown to reduce pain, reduce negative emotions, and even help with PTSD. There has even been researching that suggests that it increases the amount of grey matter in your brain associated with emotional intelligence. Which, in theory, could mean that it can improve your social skills. Metta meditation is good if you feel like you have a lot of hate or anger within you, whether guided towards yourself or other people. When you practice this form of meditation, you are essentially training yourself to be more loving.
3. Guided meditation
Basically, this is any form of meditation where a narrator is guiding you through the process. You follow their instructions – and that's basically it. The meditation sessions can vary greatly depending on the video or app you are using.
What sort of benefits does this form of meditation bring?
I would definitely say that this form of meditation is the easiest form on our list. And that's because you don't really have to deal with complete silence and the doubts that come when practicing meditation by yourself. However, listening to someone talk while you meditate may prevent you from going deep where many benefits and realizations lie. This is why I believe guided meditation gives you all the benefits that other forms of meditation bring, but with much less intensity. Guided meditation is something you should consider if you've tried other forms of meditation but felt like it was too difficult. There's no harm in putting on some training wheels and getting used to sitting still for extended periods of time before eventually moving onto more advanced forms of meditation.
4. Focused Attention Meditation
Technically, Focused Attention Meditation involves meditation where you focus on a particular stimulus of any kind. It can be a sound, a sensation in your body, or even something visual like an object. This might sound a bit similar to mindfulness breathing meditation, and that's actually because mindfulness breathing meditation consists of a mix between focused attention meditation and open awareness meditation. The main difference is that you don't really spend much time observing your thoughts with focused attention meditation. It's more about getting yourself to focus as much as possible on a single sensation.
What are the benefits of this? Researchers have actually discovered that Focused Attention Meditation activates and strengthens a part of the brain that open awareness meditation does not - the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. This is the part of our brain used for detecting errors, overcoming impulses, and solving problems. This form of meditation is perfect for those looking to use meditation to excel in school or your career, as it trains your brain to find solutions to problems more effectively. It's also great for those who struggle with focusing, especially when it comes to studying. To top that off, it is one of the best forms of meditation to practice when it comes to impulse control, which should help you overcome your addictions easier.
5. Mantra Meditation
Mantra meditation is a special form of meditation where you focus on repeating a phrase or a series of words over and over again. You can honestly choose whatever mantra you want. Just keep in mind that the best mantras are positively phrased. For example, "I am calm" is a better mantra to repeat than "I do not worry."
What are the benefits of this? The benefits really depend on which mantra you choose. When you repeat a phrase to yourself so many times and focus on it with such intensity – you start to believe it. This is similar to how we obtained the beliefs that we currently have about ourselves and life in general. We repeated them thousands of times in our head until they became true. So in a way, mantra meditation can reprogram the way you think and view yourself. For example, if you use a mantra like "My life is full of joy," you will actually start to become more grateful for the little things throughout the day. If you use a mantra like "I can achieve anything I put my mind to, "you will start feeling more confident in your abilities which would cause you to take more action. Mantra meditation is for anyone who feels like they have a certain belief about themselves or life holding them back. Because it allows you to pinpoint a specific problem and fix it, this is a good form of meditation to practice if you are not looking to gain multiple benefits but rather to fix one specific problem.
6. Pranayama Meditation
Also known as breath control meditation. This form of meditation is more about controlling the pacing of your breathing. It is actually often taught as a breathing exercise in the form of the 4/4/4/4 box method. Basically, you breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Exhale slowly for 4 seconds. And then wait for 4 seconds, and then you repeat the entire process over and over again.
What are the benefits of this? This form of meditation is most widely known for its calming benefits. Studies have shown that it lowers your blood pressure, reduces stress, and even helps you fall asleep. It is also one of the only forms of meditation that have been shown to strengthen your lungs. This is a good form of meditation to practice if you suffer from stress or anxiety. In fact, the box breathing method is usually taught not as a form of meditation but as a method used to calm people down. It is also one of the easier forms of meditation to practice because you are not focusing on being present or emptying your mind. You are simply focusing on breathing at a certain pace.
7. Moving Meditation
Well, moving meditation is done when you are completely focused on making some sort of movement, whether it's walking, doing chores, yoga, or even dancing. While you move, you focus on the physical changes and sensations that occur. For example, if you chose to practice moving meditation while walking, your focus will be on the feeling of your feet touching the ground and pushing off, and so on.
What are the benefits of this? The main benefit of moving meditation is that it teaches you how to enter the flow state. This is because certain movements, such as dance, force you to be creative and present simultaneously. Because you have to decide which movement you will make next. Which is something that doesn't happen with any of the other forms of meditation. This form of meditation is great if you have a hard time sitting still. Maybe you have some health issues that prevent you from doing so, or maybe you feel too jittery. This, however, can become a double-edged sword because moving often makes it easier to forget that your goal is to meditate. It is much harder to get into a deep meditative state while moving because you are basically multi-tasking. But this is a great form of meditation that you can incorporate into your day-to-day life if you feel like you are busy. You can practice this form of meditation with any movement, including washing dishes and even taking a shower.
These are 7 of the most common forms of meditation out there. I recommend that you try some of these out to see which one is best suited for you.
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