The Four Main Types of Meditation
The different types of meditation can be categorized based on their primary focus of attention, these include guided meditations, moving meditations, sensory meditations and mindful meditations. It's not always easy to classify individual meditations into one particular category, as it will often fall into several. For example, if you attend a yoga class, then will be a guided moving meditation.
Guided meditations are dialogue based and a leader will use their voice to focus your attention. For example, in a body scan meditation they would direct you to relax the muscles in different parts of your body. This type of meditation frequently uses visualization or imagery and are often created for a specific purpose, such as for relaxation, or forgiveness, or to reduce stress, or lose weight. And many moving and sensory meditations also guided.
Moving meditations involve moving some part of your body. In its simplest form, the movement is limited to your breath. The general idea is that by directing your attention to what your body is doing, then then the whirling in your head, or what is sometimes referred to as your ‘monkey mind’ begins to calm down. Many types of yoga are perfect examples of a moving meditation, especially the types that focus on pairing the movement with the breath, such as Vinyasa Flow. And if yoga sounds a bit too challenging for you right now, then you might enjoy one of the walking meditations.
In sensory meditations, the mind is focused on sights, sounds, tastes, scents and the physical sensations of touch. For example, Sight: observing objects such as a candle or a tree.
Sound:listening to music.
Scent:stopping to smell a flower.
Taste:eating an orange.
Touch: feeling the touch of a feather.
Mindful, or mindfulness meditations are perhaps the most difficult type to describe because the focus of the mind is the mind itself. The purpose is to go beyond what we normally think of as our mind, and the key is in realizing that we are not our thoughts, our emotions, or our actions. Instead, we are the self that is observing our thoughts, emotions and actions and using them to create our lives, and this is where the power of meditation begins.
So which type of meditation is best for you?
This is something you'll have to figure out through experimentation; however, I can offer you some suggestions about which might be the best way to mediate for you. For example, if your mind is jumpy, then choose either guided or sensory meditations as they give your mind something to focus on. If you find it hard to sit still, then meditating through movement could be good for you. Some people may view mindful meditation as being more advanced. However, not only are there mindful meditations that are accessible for a beginner, I believe it has less to do with experience and more to do with purpose. Ask yourself ‘Why are you meditating and what do you want to achieve?’, because that will determine your choice. Go with what you are drawn to and then experiment. You may find one that you love and use repeatedly, or you may discover several that you use for different purposes.
Go back to the list of all the Meditation Types.
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