The key to finding the right style of meditation that suits you, is defining the reason why you’re meditating in the first place and your purpose.
To do that, you need to find a style that suits your goal, whether it is to find calm or discover clear thinking to reducing pain or connecting with the world, says mediation teacher and counsellor Nadine Cameron.
Here are a few meditation styles to kick-start your journey:
Mindfulness
Also known as vipassana, is the most popular form in the Western world. It’s about ‘being present’ and letting your mind run. It’s not recommended for those with pre-existing mental illness or emotional difficulty because spending too much time in your head can do more harm than good.
Zazen
As the generic term for seated meditation in the Buddhist tradition this is a minimal kind of meditation, done for long periods of time. There’s little focus on breath and with little guidance it can be hard to learn.
Transcendental meditation
Put simply, you sit with your back straight (ideally in the lotus or half-lotus posture) and repeat a mantra. It’s a simplified version from the non-dual Hindu paradigm Vedanta.
Kundalini
Also from Vedanta, the aim of this style is to become aware of a rising stream, which you ride to infinity through concentration on breath. Be weary though, this can have lead to the Kundalini syndrome, where people become hypersensitive to touch, light and sounds.
NEXT: Discover the benefits of meditation.
