7 Kinds of Meditation and Their Benefits
Stress, anxiety and not knowing how to control their emotions have led many people to decide to practice meditation.
But did you know that there are many different varieties? The truth is that it’s good to know the different kinds of meditation to know which one fits you best.
Because of this, today we want to give you some insight into the all the variants that exist today, the benefits they have and who they’re good for.
Kinds of meditation
1. Primordial sound
Primordial sound meditation is based on mantras.
But, what is a mantra?
A mantra is a sound, word, or phrase you repeat that makes your mind vibrate.
For instance, a well known mantra is the classic “ommmm.” Doing this gets rid of thoughts that take you out of the present.
Even though you may think that mantras are sounds picked by chance, the truth is that all of them are sacred sounds. They have a meaning that has followed them since antiquity.
Primordial sound meditation puts distance between you and the mental noise that keeps you from being calm.
2. Vipassana
Vipassana is also called insight meditation.
This practice focuses on nasal breathing and identifying your thoughts and emotions. You observe them without making any kind of judgment.
This technique helps you to see things as they are, without judging them. It opens your eyes and lets you understand what’s happening around you.
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3. Zazen meditation
Zazen, also called Zen, focuses on breathing. However, there’s an essential difference between Zen and Vipassana. Zen is not based on nasal breathing, but on the movement of your stomach.
For this kind of meditation, you need to be sitting up straight, your chin should be pointing downward, and your hands should be placed on your stomach.
Zazen teaches you to see the thoughts that pass through your mind. You observe them one after another to set them free afterward.
4. Metta meditation
Metta, also called loving-kindness, is based in Tibetan Buddhism. It’s a caring and compassionate way to meditate.
It helps you learn to empathize more with others. You face life with increased positivity. Plus, you learn to accept both yourself and others.
People with low self-esteem, perfectionists, or self-critical people can benefit a lot from this kind of meditation.
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5. Kundalini meditation
The main goal of Kundalini is waking up your mind. You do this with mantras and chants that access your unconscious mind.
This technique focuses a lot on your spinal column. The energy of Kundalini is found in your lower back.
When you recite mantras or chants, you free this energy that resides in your spine. Then, you wake up. If you go a little further, you can reach enlightenment.
6. Chakra meditation
According to Hinduism, people have 6 chakras. These are centers of energy that are distributed all throughout your body.
This kind of meditation focuses on sounds, the position of your hands, visualization, and focusing on each Chakra that will connect you to your physical body.
7. Tonglen meditation
The last one that we’re going to talk about is Tonglen. This helps you to connect to what makes you suffer, to accept pain, and free yourself from it.
People have a tendency to run away from anything they think is negative or hurts them. However, this only makes the situation worse.
Therefore, this meditating technique lets you effectively fight these difficult circumstances that are present in your life.
Tonglen helps you to get rid of negativity and to be compassionate and empathetic. Because of this there is also a special attention to breathing.
Have you tried one of these kinds of meditation or a variation of one? Even though they are all positive, some are focused more on certain elements than others. The wonderful part is you can choose which works best for what you want the most and need to heal.
What’s your favorite one?
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Zeidan, F., Johnson, S. K., Diamond, B. J., David, Z., & Goolkasian, P. (2010). Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training. Consciousness and Cognition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2010.03.014
- Frewen, P., Rogers, N., Flodrowski, L., & Lanius, R. (2015). Mindfulness and Metta-based Trauma Therapy (MMTT): Initial Development and Proof-of-Concept of an Internet Resource. Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0402-y
- Grilley, P. (2007). Chakra theory and meditation. Miscellaneous.
- McKnight, D. (2012). Tonglen Meditation’s Effect on Levels of Compassion and Self-Compassion: A Proof of Concept Study and. Upaya.Org.
