5 Best Meditation Techniques to Get You Started

5 Best Meditation Types and Styles for Beginners

Meditation is an effective mind-centered practice that people use to reduce stress, calm the mind, and cultivate self-love and self-awareness. There are many health benefits related to regular meditation, such as mental focus, immune system protection, and enhanced overall health. If you are new to meditation, start with five minutes a day to familiarize yourself with it.

Here are five effective meditation types and styles for beginners to get you started on a path of renewed health, energy, focus, and happiness.

Reasons Why People Meditate

Why do people meditate? Meditation is an ancient practice that improves physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Here are some of the primary reasons why people meditate:

Mind focus

There is a popular misconception that meditation clears the mind of every thought. Well, contrary to popular belief, meditation does not do this. As humans, our brains are always active; thinking is a normal part of our day to day existence. The goal is to reduce the speed of the thoughts. Do you sometimes feel like your mind is always racing? Are your thoughts running through your mind at a million miles per hour?

Meditation is supposed to reduce racing thoughts to help you focus on a specific idea instead. For example, you want to focus on feeling at peace in the morning to start your day off without anxiety, stress, and racing thoughts. Your intention for your meditation should be peace, harmony, and relaxation. You can achieve this by focusing on a peaceful scene in your mind or repeating a soothing mantra.

Focus on the present moment

Focusing on the present moment can be challenging with modern technology and constant distraction. It is difficult to focus on what is happening in the present moment. Thinking about the future and the past can often make you feel anxious and fearful. Regular meditation could help to bring you back into the present moment whenever you feel worried or anxious.

To experience an altered state of consciousness

When you sleep, you enter into a different state of consciousness. Meditation can help you alter your conscious mind to enter into another form of conscious thought—a happy medium between restful sleep and conscious wakefulness. Meditation stimulates the section of the brain that encourages happiness and positive thinking. The more you meditate, the happier you will feel (in theory). When you start meditating, focus on remaining consistent instead of the results. Worrying about the results could cause anxiety and stress. Put all your effort into meditating for five minutes every day, then increase the duration when you feel comfortable to do so.

Styles of Meditation

There are two main styles of meditation, and these are concentrative and non-concentrative.

Concentrative

Concentrative meditation involves placing your energy and focus on something like a particular sound, an image, or an affirmation.

Non-Concentrative

Non-concentrative meditation is less specific; it allows you to focus on nature sounds, breath control, and inner feelings.

Types of Meditation

There are various types of meditation, five primary forms that are suitable for beginners.

Basic Meditation

Basic meditation is a powerful yet simple way to start your meditation practice. This type of meditation involves sitting or lying down, usually cross-legged with palms facing upwards. Focus on your breathing by inhaling and exhaling slowly through your nose. The goal is to slow your breathing right down to calm the mind and reduce racing thoughts.

Focused Meditation

With focused meditation, the aim is to focus on something specific such as a sound, music, or an idea like "self-love" or "pure patience." The process of focusing on something pulls you into the present moment and reduces anxiety and negative thoughts. Constant overthinking and self-analysis can lead to depression and stress. Focused meditation encourages you to place your attention on a positive thought, intention, or peaceful sound to welcome you into the present moment to create an overall feeling of calm and tranquility.

Activity-Based Meditation

Activity-based meditation is highly beneficial because it allows you to remain active during the meditative process. Instead of sitting in one place, you can walk or perform a specific movement repeatedly to achieve an altered state of consciousness. Writers often enter a meditative state of flow when they are writing; an effective way of practicing activity-based meditation is to write a specific word repeatedly. For example, in the morning, you set your intention for the day; your purpose is "focus." Meaning you want to remain focused and productive throughout the day to tick a few critical tasks off your to-do list. Instead of feeling stressed and anxious, utilize the power of activity-based meditation to alter your state of mind. Take a pen and paper or type the word over and over again on a blank document.

When you practice activity-based meditation regularly, you will notice a total shift in your thought patterns.

Mindfulness Meditation

The primary aim of mindfulness meditation is to focus wholeheartedly on the present moment. It doesn't require a specific seating position or setup. You can practice mindfulness meditation anywhere, when you are walking, during a workout session, cooking, or taking a break from work. Mindfulness meditation is about creating a mindful mindset; it encourages intentional and deliberate thoughtfulness. Instead of overanalyzing every thought, emotion, and action, it enables you to experience the feelings without questioning them.

Spiritual Meditation

Meditation is not a religious practice. However, it can boost your spiritual health and allow you to experience human and spiritual duality. Kundalini meditation is a form of spiritual reflection that facilitates the mind/body connection.

Summary

Meditation is a mind-focused practice that enhances physical, emotional, and mental health. Encouraging compassion, self-awareness, self-love, and a present moment state of mind, regular, consistent meditation can be extremely beneficial. The best type of meditation is the type that feels right for you.