Meditation
Types of meditation and where each comes from
The main types of meditation are breath awareness, mindfulness, body scan, loving-kindness, walking meditation, mantra meditation, Zen sitting, visualisation, candle gazing, yoga nidra and insight meditation. Most come from Hindu, Buddhist or Jain traditions. They differ mainly in where they rest your attention: the breath, the body, a phrase, a sound or an image.
There are many types of meditation, but most of them share one simple move: rest your attention somewhere, notice when it drifts, and bring it back. What changes from type to type is the anchor.
Below are eleven of the most common, with where each comes from and who it tends to suit. If you have never meditated, start with the basics in how to meditate in five quiet minutes, then come back here to explore.
What are the main types of meditation?
| Type | Where the attention rests | Rooted in |
|---|---|---|
| Breath awareness | The feel of the breath | Buddhist and yoga traditions |
| Mindfulness | Whatever is happening now | Buddhist teaching, modern secular courses |
| Body scan | Each part of the body in turn | Modern mindfulness, yoga nidra |
| Loving-kindness | Phrases of goodwill | Buddhist metta practice |
| Walking | The steps and the feet | Buddhist monastic practice, Zen |
| Mantra | A repeated word or syllable | Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh traditions |
| Zen sitting | Posture and breath, or nothing at all | Zen Buddhism |
| Visualisation | An image held in the mind | Tibetan Buddhism, tantra |
| Candle gazing | A small flame | Hatha yoga (trataka) |
| Yoga nidra | A guided rotation through the body | Twentieth-century yoga |
| Insight | Change in body and mind | Theravada Buddhism |
Which types focus on the breath and the body?
Breath awareness asks you to feel the breath where it is clearest, at the nostrils, chest or belly, without changing it. The Buddhist name is anapanasati, mindfulness of breathing, and it is described in early Pali texts.
Mindfulness widens the field to whatever is present: sounds, sensations, thoughts, moods. In the late twentieth century, secular programmes in hospitals and schools adapted it from Buddhist sources.
Body scan moves the attention slowly through the body, usually from the feet to the head. The step-by-step guided body scan from feet to head is a good place to try it.
Which types use words or phrases?
Loving-kindness, or metta, repeats short phrases of goodwill toward yourself and others. It comes from Buddhist teaching, and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras recommend a similar attitude of friendliness. The full practice is written out on the page about loving-kindness meditation.
Mantra meditation repeats a word or syllable, aloud or silently, often counted on a string of 108 beads called a mala. The Hindu practice is called japa. Common choices are Om, om namah shivaya, or the Tibetan om mani padme hum. A closing line such as om shanti om, a short wish for peace, is a gentle one to begin with. The guide to mala beads and how to count with a japa mala shows how to hold the beads.
Which types involve movement or the eyes?
Walking meditation turns slow steps into the anchor. Buddhist monasteries have long had paths set aside for it, and Zen halls practise kinhin between sittings. The walking meditation guide has a ten-minute practice.
Zen sitting, zazen, keeps the eyes half open and the posture upright. In the Soto school it often has no object at all, a practice called just sitting.
Candle gazing, trataka, is one of the cleansing practices in the hatha texts: you look steadily at a small flame, then close the eyes and hold the after-image. Sit well back from the flame, and skip it if bright light bothers your eyes.
Visualisation builds a detailed image in the mind, such as a deity, a mandala or a light, and is central to Tibetan Buddhist and tantric practice.
Which types are the deepest or most structured?
Yoga nidra is guided rest lying down, shaped in the twentieth century by Swami Satyananda of the Bihar School. It moves through the body, the breath and images, and many people find it the easiest way into stillness. See yoga nidra, guided rest.
Insight meditation, vipassana, comes from Theravada Buddhism and observes how sensations and thoughts arise and pass. It is often taught on residential retreats held in silence; for a first-hand picture, read what a 10-day Vipassana retreat is like.
How do you choose a type of meditation?
Start with what your mind and body need. If you are restless, a moving or guided practice may suit you better than silent sitting. If you are drawn to a tradition, start with its simplest form. If a practice brings up difficult feelings, stop, open your eyes and move, and if that keeps happening, practise with the guidance of a doctor or therapist.
Whichever you pick, five regular minutes will teach you more than one long session now and then.
Questions
Which type of meditation is best for beginners?
Breath awareness is the usual starting point, because the breath is always there and gives the attention something simple to follow. If sitting still is hard, walking meditation or a guided body scan are gentler ways in. The best type is the one you will actually come back to.
Can you mix different types of meditation?
Yes, and many people do, for example a few minutes of breath awareness followed by loving-kindness. It helps to stay with one main practice for a few weeks first, so you get to know it before you start comparing.
Is yoga a type of meditation?
In the classical texts, meditation is part of yoga rather than the other way round. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras place dhyana, meditation, as the seventh of eight limbs. A posture class is not meditation in itself, though slow, attentive movement can share some of its qualities.