(Explore Your Mind) People can meditate in different ways, as there are many different types of meditation.
by Staff Writer, April 6th, 2019
Meditating is like praying or reflecting. It’s often practiced in silence. Nowadays, the definition of meditation is broader since it includes non-religious practices. It’s simply a personal and intimate moment of reflection.
Types of meditation
Depending on your goal, a certain type of meditation will be better for you than another. Although it’s hard to identify the exact number of types that exist, here we’ll share some of the main ones.
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Buddhist meditation
Buddha himself suggested getting closer to nature in order to meditate, to sit on the floor or on a zafu cushion in a quiet place in nature. This type of meditation seeks to achieve a state of focus and tranquility.
Although there are many types of Buddhist meditation, they all share a common goal: to achieve enlightenment and nirvana.
Zen or Zazen meditation
This type of meditation is a minimalist principle that makes peace a tangible possibility.
In Zen meditation, posture and breathing are very important. You must sit completely straight on a chair, cushion, or bench. Your legs should be crossed and you should place one hand on top of the other. Finally, you must start breathing deeply.
Although it seems simple, Zen meditation is actually tricky because it demands total control over your body and mind.
Transcendental meditation
Transcendental meditation isn’t religious nor does it demand a concrete posture, mental state, or mantra. It’s simply about staying calm for a period of time. People who practice TM usually do it twice a day.
Vipassanā meditation
This is one of the most ancient meditation techniques. Those who practice it see it as a self-purifying process which requires you to focus on your breathing and your body, with the aim of understanding the universal truths of impermanence, suffering, and non-self.
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Taoist meditation
The goal of Taoist meditation is to make you feel all the energy stored in your body.
Other types of meditation
Guided meditation
You can find many guided meditations on social media and platforms such as YouTube and Spotify. They consist of having the presence of a spiritual guide. In fact, this person will help you overcome the difficulties of meditation, especially if you’re a beginner.
Mindfulness meditation
This type of modern meditation focuses on consciousness and concentration.
Yoga meditation
A good part of yoga practices involve, start, or end with meditation, as it’s a great complement to any yoga session. It helps reach a peaceful state, which is incredibly beneficial in the practice of asanas.
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Stillness in the Storm Editor: Why did we post this?
Consciousness is one of the most mysterious phenomena of all time. Scientists, philosophers, and mystics have been searching for the answer to the question, What is Consciousness? for most of human history. In modern times, the spiritual origins of consciousness are being replaced with a materialistic view, that awareness emerges as an additive property of electrical impulses in living things. Despite the fact this theory is assumed to be true, any self-respecting psychologist will tell you we have no idea what consciousness really is. The preceding article discusses consciousness, some of its properties, and possible origins. This is helpful to contemplate because, in the act of trying to understand the mysteries of consciousness, you develop critical thinking skills and stimulate your philosophic muscles, both which are immensely important for almost everything we do in life. Additionally, you’ll develop abstract thinking skills, the ability to explore intangible realities that govern material realms. With the power of an active mind capable of navigating the realities of consciousness, great leaps in personal attainment can be made along with preparing you for the Great Work of making this world a better place.
– Justin
Not sure how to make sense of this? Want to learn how to discern like a pro? Read this essential guide to discernment, analysis of claims, and understanding the truth in a world of deception: 4 Key Steps of Discernment – Advanced Truth-Seeking Tools.
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Rodney Lamond says
TM does require a mantra that is given to the enrollee at the time of initiation.
Peter Bay Jespersen says
Unless Transcendental Meditation (TM) has changed remarkably since when I learned it sometime around 1990-ish, it IS a /mantra/ meditation, you focus on the repetition of a (particular) mantra, aloud or internally/mentally. It DOES require a certain mental state, one of internal listening, which goes with the mantra repetition, and because it is primarily aimed at Westerners, and especially Corporate persons, it is usually done sitting in a chair (in the usual way of sitting in a chair) rather than in Lotus or Half-Lotus or cross-legged on the floor, but I’ve not been told it can’t/shouldn’t be done that way also. There IS a one-off initiation fee, which originally was a month’s pay, whatever your pay is (so I was told) but was simplified to a set sum ( not that cheap, but not all /that/ expensive either), generally on the basis of you appreciate what you pay for, and conversely tend to not value much what you get for nothing. The TM people also make various extra things, retreats and such like, available, for a fee, which, again, isn’t cheap.