Meditation has been around for centuries and is still a popular practice in many cultures worldwide, to obtain a sense of inner harmony and calmness. In this post, I’ll be sharing 9 forms of meditation with you. Even though meditation is linked to various religious teachings, it is not so much about faith, but more about achieving inner peace and enjoying self awareness.
The different forms of meditation have gained immense popularity over the years due to the demanding schedules and busy lives that people have nowadays. There is no wrong or right way to meditate, but it is essential to find a practice that best suits your personality and requirements.
9 Forms of Meditation
- Mindfulness Meditation
- Focus Meditation
- Spiritual Meditation
- Mantra Meditation
- Movement Meditation
- Progressive Relaxation
- Visualization Meditation
- Transcendental Meditation
- Visualization Meditation
Mindful Meditation
This form of meditation comes from Buddhist teachings and is the most familiar and preferred meditation type in the West. It involves paying attention to one’s thoughts when they travel through your mind. You shouldn’t pass judgement on these thoughts or engage with them. You merely observe and assess the patterns.
Focused Meditation
This form of meditation entails concentration through using your five senses. For instance, focusing on your breath, or bringing in external influences that help with focusing your attention.
You can listen to a gong, count mala beads, or stare at a candle flame. This practice might seem basic in theory, but it can be tricky for beginners to hold their focus for longer than a couple of minutes when first practicing.
Spiritual Meditation
Spiritual meditation is a popular form in Eastern religions like the Christian faith, Hinduism, and Daoism and is similar to prayer because it involves focusing on the silence that surrounds you and seeking a deeper connection with the Universe or your God. Many people use essential oils to amplify their spiritual experience.
Common oils that are used include:
- Sage
- Palo Santo
- Frankincense
- Cedar
- Myrrh
- Sandalwood
Spiritual meditation can be practiced in a place of worship or in your home and is advantageous for people who thrive in silence and that are seeking spiritual growth.
Mantra Meditation
This form of meditation is the main focus in many teachings, including Buddhist and Hindu traditions. It uses repetitive sound to help you clear your mind. It could be anything from a sound, a phrase or a word. A good example is the well known “om” sound.
Whether your mantra is spoken quietly or loudly or even if you say it in your head, you will become more alert and in tune with your surroundings after chanting for a while. Mantra meditation helps you to experience deeper intensities of awareness.
Movement Meditation
When most people hear the words movement meditation, they immediately think of yoga. However, this form can include many things, like gardening, walking through the woods, Qigong, or other calm forms of motion. Basically, this meditation form entails mindful movement that guides you. It is usually well suited for those who find peace through action and allow their minds to wander.
Progressive Relaxation
This form of meditation is also called scan meditation and is aimed at lowering tension in your body and encouraging relaxation. It often consists of gradually tightening and relaxing a particular muscle group at a time throughout your entire body.
In some instances, it might help you to imagine a calm wave flowing through your body to assist with releasing the tension. This form of meditation is typically used before bedtime for stress relief.
Visualization Meditation
Visualization meditation focuses on improving feelings of peace, relaxation, and calmness through visualizing positive images or scenes. It is essential to dream up the scene clearly and use all your senses to add as many details as you can.
Another type of visualization meditation involves envisioning yourself reaching specific goals with the purpose of increasing motivation and focus. Many people prefer this form of meditation to lower stress levels, improve their mood, and to obtain inner peace.
Transcendental Meditation
This is another well liked form of meditation and has been subjected to various studies in the scientific world. It involves using a series of words or mantra that are specific to the person but is more customisable than mantra meditation. Transcendental meditation is a good fit for people who want structure in their life and are serious about sticking to a diligent meditation regime.
Loving-Kindness Meditation
This form of meditation focuses on reinforcing feelings of kindness, compassion, and acceptance towards yourself and others.
You have to open your mind to receive love from other people and then send a succession of well wishes to acquaintances, loved ones, friends, and all living presences. This form of meditation may help people who have feelings of resentment or anger bottled up inside them.
Benefits of Meditation
- Lowering blood pressure
- Improving sleep
- Reducing anxiety
- Lowering pain
- Easing symptoms of depression
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter if you are looking to find spiritual enlightment, reduce your stress levels, find inner peace and calm or flow via movement, there is a form of meditation you can practice. Have you ever tried meditation? And has it been beneficial to you? I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Please leave your comments below.
Sending you love, light, and inner calm,
Anthea