The 6 Most Popular Meditation Techniques

Many people think that there is only one way to practice meditation.  This is not true at all.  There are actually several different meditation techniques you can try.  Each one is different, so you can try a couple to find the one that you like best. Here are 5 of the most popular that you can start with.

• Mindfulness meditation- This technique is just as the name implies.  Your ultimate goal is to be completely mindful of yourself and your environment. You can really do this type of meditation anywhere as long as you can stay in a calm state without being distracted. All you have to do is pay close attention to every detail of yourself and your surroundings. For instance, how you feel, what youre thinking, how fast youre breathing, what you smell, what colors you see, etc. 

• Walking meditation- With this technique, instead of sitting or lying down, you will be walking.  You can do this anywhere you choose inside or outside, as long as there are no obstructions in your way and the area is quiet. When you are walking, you should be focusing on your breathing and the movement of your legs and feet as they connect with the floor or ground. 

• Clear mind meditation- This technique can be very difficult for meditation beginners. You need to get into a comfortable position and relax. Then you clear your mind of all thoughts. This is honestly not as easy as it sounds. More than likely, the harder you try to clear your mind, the more thoughts you actually have.   This is a technique that takes a lot of practice and patience to master, but can be very rewarding once you do.  

• Breathing meditation- This is one of the simplest meditation techniques. All you need to do is get into a position thats comfortable for you and relax.  Then start taking deep slow breaths in and out through your nose.  As you breathe, picture in your mind the breath going in your nose, circulating through your body, and then being released.   If your mind starts to wander, bring it back to focusing on your breath again.  Keep this going for as long as you like. 

• Mantra meditation- Since it can be difficult to clear your mind of all thoughts, it can help to give your mind one specific thought to focus on.  You should choose a mantra that you can say during your meditation time. It can be a single word or an entire phrase.  However, it should be something that is meaningful to you and evokes a certain feeling like energy or relaxation.

• Binaural beats meditation- Unlike other meditation techniques, this doesnt require you to put yourself in a meditative state.  Instead, you listen to an audio program that has rhythmic sounds at a specific frequency.   This frequency is processed by your brain.  Your brainwaves then synchronize with this frequency to put you into a meditative state.  This is probably the quickest and easiest way to meditate.  Its especially good for beginners that have trouble with other techniques.