Meditation is a practice that will change your life in only the best way. Since the begging of time, people have engaged themselves in the name of mindfulness and relation with God. Meditation is a time where we can tune out of the world, and tune into ourselves.
Beginning a meditation practice can be quite the challenge in our modern world. For most people, when they think of meditation the imagine a monk in a cave, completely alone, meditating for weeks on end. This just isn’t for everyone, and is certainly not the only way to reach the rich enlightenment that meditation brings! In this blog I will be sharing my top 8 favorite ways to meditate, in hopes that it will spark inspiration within you.
Before I dive deep into the 8 best ways to meditate, I want to share some fun facts and tips about meditating!
- Meditation is essential for living a successful life
- Meditation brings clarity to the human mind
- There is no wrong or right way to meditate
- Different style of meditation range from movement meditation, to quite meditation, and even a guided sound meditation.
- For beginners, it is best to ease yourself into the practice. There is no need to try and do a 20 minute silent meditation your first time. Start with a few minutes and work your way up!
1. Body Scanning Meditation
This is the best way to get yourself used to the meditation process. A body scan is done by closing out from the world, and tuning deeply into yourself. Body scanning encourages you to quietly scan your body for areas of tension, and using your breath to release the tension you may find.
This practice builds progressive relaxation, and the more detailed you scan, the more your body relaxes. Simply begin at your toes.. feel the energy their holding, and breath into this space deeply to release any stagnant energy. From there, you work your way up the body. Paying careful attention to every single muscle, bone, and even glad.
In some body scan meditations, one may wish to physically tense an area of there body as much as they can, and then relax it. This is helpful in creating a physical release and letting the body know what you are desiring.
This style of meditation is helpful for getting in touch with your subtile body. Consistent body scans will teach you the flow of your energy body, and help you know yourself better. It will promote mindfulness, and intuitive knowing in all areas of your life. This practice is especially powerful for anyone who suffers from chronic pain, or anxiety.
2. Breathing Meditation
Hands down, the most powerful tool in meditation is the breath. Our breaths the invisible life force that keeps us going, and when we greet it in meditation, it works wonders for us.
In ancient cultures where meditation is practiced religiously, the mindfulness breath is called pranayama. There are hundreds of breathing techniques that can be used to ignite this healing with in!
The whole focus of any breathing meditation is to bring the oxygen & life force energy into your body with mindfulness. Simply breathing slowly and deeply will train your mind to be more considerate of its intake. Once you get more accustomed to that, you can begin doing specific breathing techniques like Breath of Fire, Alternate Nostril Breathing, and many others.
3. Mindfullness Meditation
Mindfulness is a meditation form that allows the meditator to remain aware and present in the moment.
Rather than using a mantra, mudra, or pranayam to focus the mind, this technique forces us to simply be here now. Dwelling in the present moment, rather than what came before, or what will come after. Simply steeping in the present moment.
You can do this meditation style anywhere, and there is no wrong or right way to practice it. Wether your laying in bed, driving your car, or even reading a book, you can practice mindfulness. The key is to just be here now, and let your worries fade away.
Mindfullness will empower your life in every single way, and train you to be happy exactly where you are. Since every single meditation style focuses on mindfulness there are many studies upon it. Some of the benefits include:
- reduce fixation on negative emotions
- improve focus
- improve memory
- lessen impulsive, emotional reactions
- improve relationship satisfaction
This is a perfect starting point for any meditator, and should be used daily. If you suffer from anxiety, this meditation will train you to have power over your mind.
4. Kundalini Meditation
This is by far my most practiced form of meditation. There are hundreds of meditations to choose form in the Kundalini Yoga practice, and they all have different benefits. Every single thing you’re growing through, there is most likely a kundalini meditation for it!
Kundalini yoga is a physically active meditation that uses movement with deep breathing to gain a centered state of mind. People usually learn from a teacher through a class. However, someone can learn at home. I personally began my journey through youtube, and have now attained a certification in Kundalini Yoga.
Here is my favorite kundalini meditation -SA TA NA MA!
5. Crystal Meditation
If you’re a crystal lover, this is a gorgeous meditation for you! Crystals are ancient tools formed by the Earth. Each stone holds information and energy within their mineral composition, and have been proven to help humans on a mind, body, and spiritual level. Most people cary crystal around with them, or have them sitting in a specific area of their home, but this mediation technique teaches you how to use crystals as a spiritual tool!
Simply set a sacred space for yourself, and pick out a crystal that calls to your spirit. Cleanse it with sage or water to show that you are ready to work for it. Then once you’re ready sit down, and begin to observe the stone and all its different colors, forms, and feelings. Allow yourself to pay careful attention to it, and get seriously in-tune with its uniqueness. Now that you have built a connection with the crystal, allow your eyes to close and begin to tune into its energy.
This is where your meditative state can come in. Allow your mind to be clear, and let the crystal energy wash over you. Ask it questions, and pay close attention to what you may think are your thoughts. You can also ask the crystal to guide your meditation, and even heal you.
Best Crystals for Meditation: Selenite, Clear Quartz, Ammonite, Lemurian Seed Crystals, and all chakra stones.
The size of the crystal does not matter, anything will do. All you need is an open mind and a connection with the crystal.
6. Metta Meditation
This is a very powerful form of meditation. The key focus in the Metta meditation is to find love, kindness, and forgiveness. The goal is to hold space for yourself to heal and receive compassion. We drain our stress and anger, and welcome in stillness, forgiveness, and healing.
To practice this meditation, you will begin breathing deeply. Once you have a steady breath, allow your mind to open to the action of receiving love and kindness from the world beyond. You can see this as a moment of prayer, asking the higher power for a specific energy, and then allowing yourself to receive it! You can also gather this energy, and then direct it to other people, places, or things so that you can expand your love.
This meditation form can be paired with an affirmation, I personally like to use, “I deeply love and accept myself”, and I repeat this until i truly feel its message downloaded in my mind, body, and spirit.
This meditations goal is to generate compassion for yourself and others, and is a powerful attribute to any daily practice!
7. Guided / Visual Meditation
This may be the most popular form of meditation, or one that many people begin with. The goal of this meditation is to guide the mind beyond the body to transcend into another dimension or dream scape. Pairing guided spoken world, and imagination, the meditation practitioner visualize the reality they are wanting to attain.
Visualization is a powerful way to connect and communicate with higher forms of consciousness because when we pair our imagination with mindfulness we open doors to our highest self.
You can proactive this method by speaking out load, and guiding yourself to that transcendence, or listen to a recored meditation by yourself, or someone else.
Here is a special free meditation I recored: Archangel Gabriel Meditation
8. Sound Healing Meditation
Last but not least is Sound Healing. This is a powerful healing / meditation technique that most people call Sound Bathing.
Sound baths are a space where someone plays crystal singing bowls, drums, or any other healing instruments to carry your mind into a free space. It invites us to just focus on the sounds, so that we can be present. Sound has been proven to cure many diseases and disorders. It breaks up stagnation, and holds space for you to simply exist.
On youtube you can find many sound healing videos, or also look within your local community for sound baths! I personally host at least one sound bath a month with Houston Healing Circles!
I really hope this blog sparked motivation in you! Meditation changed my life, and it is my greatest hope that others begin this practice! With so many forms to engage in meditation, I’m sure that you can find one that works for you!
These are just my top 8 meditation practices, but there are many many more to explore! Please feel free to share your favorite meditations in the comments below, or share your experience with us!
Sending so much love,
Taraney Vigil
