9 Types of Meditation to try for the New Year

Meditation is a practice that allows you to close out the outside world and take your mind on a vacation. Meditation is great for when you’re coming home from a busy day and you need that 30 minutes to yourself to unwind. 

Often time, music or guided meditation is used along with candles, essential oils, or burning incense. Essential oils are usually used to calm you and burning incense purify the area and have been shown to raise serotonin in the brain. Candles— well they smell good, but this can still be used to calm you.

When meditating the most important step is creating a comfortable space. This space should be free of distraction so you can focus and relax. Next, you’ll want to sit in a position that is comfortable to you making sure your spine is straight. This can be done sitting on the floor, in a chair, or in various positions if it’s yoga meditation. You can also do this laying down if your purpose is to sleep.

Now that you’re set up away from distraction and in a comfortable position, focus on your breathing and visualize. Meditation heavily focuses on your state of awareness and focused attention so this step is going to be what helps put your mind at ease. For visualizing, having a guided meditation would be helpful because it gives you the images to focus on but eventually, this will come naturally if practiced enough.

If you are or have been wondering if you should try meditating, this is your sign. Why not start today? There are great meditation guides on YouTube and for music, Spotify has multiple playlists that are helpful as well.

Some mental health benefits gained from meditating include better focus and concentration, improved self-awareness, lower controlled stress, and anxiety, and it can generate kindness. It has also been proven that it may help fight off addictions.

Meditation is something anyone can do at any time. You don’t need any special equipment, just you and that all it really takes.

9 Types of Meditation

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation originates from Buddhist teachings and is the most popular meditation technique in the West.

In mindfulness meditation, you pay attention to your thoughts as they pass through your mind. You don’t judge the thoughts or become involved with them. You simply observe and take note of any patterns.

This practice combines concentration with awareness. You may find it helpful to focus on an object or your breath while you observe any bodily sensations, thoughts, or feelings.

This type of meditation is good for people who don’t have a teacher to guide them, as it can be easily practiced alone.

Spiritual Meditation

Spiritual meditation is used in Eastern religions, such as Hinduism and Daoism, and in Christian faith. It’s similar to prayer in that you reflect on the silence around you and seek a deeper connection with your God or Universe.

Essential oils are commonly used to heighten the spiritual experience. Popular options include:

frankincense

myrrh

sage

cedar

sandalwood

palo santo

Spiritual meditation can be practiced at home or in a place of worship. This practice is beneficial for those who thrive in silence and seek spiritual growth.

Focused Meditation

Focused meditation involves concentration using any of the five senses. For example, you can focus on something internal, like your breath, or you can bring in external influences to help focus your attention. Try counting mala beads, listening to a gong, or staring at a candle flame. This practice may be simple in theory, but it can be difficult for beginners to hold their focus for longer than a few minutes at first.

If your mind does wander, it’s important to come back to the practice and refocus.

Movement Meditation

Although most people think of yoga when they hear movement meditation, this practice may include walking through the woods, gardening, qigong, and other gentle forms of motion.

It’s an active form of meditation where the movement guides you.

Movement meditation is good for people who find peace in action and prefer to let their minds wander.

Mantra Meditation

Mantra meditation is prominent in many teachings, including Hindu and Buddhist traditions. This type of meditation uses a repetitive sound to clear the mind. It can be a word, phrase, or sound, such as the popular “Om.”

It doesn’t matter if your mantra is spoken loudly or quietly. After chanting the mantra for some time, you’ll be more alert and in tune with your environment. This allows you to experience deeper levels of awareness.

Some people enjoy mantra meditation because they find it easier to focus on a word than on their breath. This is also a good practice for people who don’t like silence and enjoy repetition.

Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Meditation is a popular type of meditation. This practice has been the subject of numerous studies in the scientific community. It is more customizable than mantra meditation, using a mantra or series of words that are specific to each practitioner.

This practice is for those who like structure and are serious about maintaining a meditation practice.

Progressive Relaxation

Also known as body scan meditation, progressive relaxation is a practice aimed at reducing tension in the body and promoting relaxation. Oftentimes, this form of meditation involves slowly tightening and relaxing one muscle group at a time throughout the body.

In some cases, it may also encourage you to imagine a gentle wave flowing through your body to help release any tension. This form of meditation is often used to relieve stress and unwind before bedtime.

Loving-kindness Meditation

Loving-kindness meditation is used to strengthen feelings of compassion, kindness, and acceptance toward oneself and others. It typically involves opening the mind to receive love from others and then sending a series of well wishes to loved ones, friends, acquaintances, and all living beings.

Because this type of meditation is intended to promote compassion and kindness, it may be ideal for those holding feelings of anger or resentment.

Visualization Meditation

Visualization meditation is a technique focused on enhancing feelings of relaxation, peace, and calmness by visualizing positive scenes or images. With this practice, it’s important to imagine the scene vividly and use all five senses to add as much detail as possible.

Another form of visualization meditation involves imagining yourself succeeding at specific goals, which is intended to increase focus and motivation. Many people use visualization meditation to boost their mood, reduce stress levels, and promote inner peace.