Types of Meditation

I have long wanted to include meditation in my daily routine. The benefits to mind, body and spirit are well understood. Relax the mind, release serotonin, rejuvenate the body, heal the spirit. Why, I feel calmer just thinking about it!

However despite a brief stint of morning cups of tea spent outside, I've never been able to establish a meditation routine. Which is where you, gentle reader, come in. Join me! Let's find what works for us, each of us, individually. And then build from there to make it a habit.

So, first step. A taste test! There's more than one kind of meditation. What flavour tastes the best to you?

1. Breathing Meditation
Here you focus on your breath moving in and out of your body. Your breath is used to help keep internal and external distracting thoughts at bay, while simultaneously uniting you with your body. Use all your senses: the temperature of the air going in and out, the sound it makes, visualise your chest rising and falling, feel your body adjusting and relaxing with each breath.

2. Focussed Meditation (image, sound, phrase)
Similar to breath based meditation, only instead of using your breath as an anchor, make use of an image or object (such as the candle from this week's Monday Moment). Or a sound ("om" is popular). Or even a phrase: this could be a positive affirmation ("I am happy") or just a pleasant set of syllables which sound good to you.

Similarly, use all your senses to concentrate on your anchor, and notice the changes it makes to you.

3. Moving Meditation
Some find sitting still difficult to manage (parents of young children may find that attempting to sit still and quiet just makes you a easy-to-locate target). Moving meditation can include something as simple as walking, or Tai Chi, or Yoga.

Focus on the breath, the shift of your body, your center of balance.

4. Mindfulness Meditation (non-directed)
The previous meditation methods have mostly included a specific key to help keep distracting thoughts at bay. There is also mindfulness meditation which has no such anchor. You sit and allow the thoughts to come, but you do not become entangled with them. You notice them, acknowledge them and let them go. There's no need to dwell, or solve a problem. You are there just to observe and see what thoughts are uppermost.

5. Guided Meditation
Meditation can be hard. It's easy to feel like you're "failing" at it. Or that you don't know what you're doing. Guided meditation is helpful here. Someone else provides some guided imagery, possibly with accompanying music. I've greatly enjoyed listening to selected podcasts from Meditation Oasis though I'm sure a search on the internet and YouTube would turn up plenty of options too.

Stay tuned. Coming up, we'll set out a buffet of meditations. A tasting sampler of peacefulness. A chance to find what works best. Onwards, to the future! (Meditation Taster Challenge)

Image credit: Carola Egana