Earlier this year, I took a Transcendental Meditation course, and you guys, it was life-changing. I’ve dabbled with meditation for years, but fully emerging myself into a week-long class was something else. Best of all, it got me into a healthy routine of practicing meditation as often as possible.
Since I’m now pretty comfortable with Transcendental, I’ve started experimenting with different meditation styles depending on the circumstance (my emotions, mood, energy). I’ve been gravitating towards simple forms for now, and the 3 styles below are my current favorite. I wanted to share what I’ve been learning about each in hopes that you’ll enjoy them, too.
Mindfulness
– Yup, this is actually a type of meditation! I love this style because though you’re focusing solely on the present moment (which is hard!), you’re taught to let go of judgement—like when your mind wanders off or has a hard time concentrating. You should pay close attention to your breath which is a good grounding part of sticking this out. Sit on a cushion or the floor and choose how long you practice for. This is a perfect place to start for beginners who want to dive right in.
Transcendental (aka TM)
– This type is pretty popular and relies on the use of a mantra—usually a positive one. You are supposed to practice TM twice a day for 20 minutes with closed eyes. It’s supposed to promote relaxation, less stress, positivity, and self-development. Because the mantra guides your mind to some extent, this is one of the easier styles to practice. You don’t have to focus on clearing your mind and can instead concentrate on the mantra. I think this is wonderful for anyone who needs to brighten their day, is suffering from PTSD (which is why I started) or is into enlightenment.
Guided
– With this type, an instructor leads you. A ton of apps (I like Headspace) and podcasts offer them, so you can do it anywhere. I personally appreciate how you learn different techniques—like body scans or affirmations—and it’s a good way to focus on whatever you’re craving—releasing body tension, getting through emotions, etc. I suggest this style for anyone who has a hard time clearing their head, likes instruction, or gets distracted easily. It’s a great place to start to figure out what specifically you like during a session.
Do you have a favorite form of meditation? What should I try next?
NAMASTE!
19 comments
I’m a big fan of mindfulness and TM, I’ve yet to find a guided style I can really get into. If I’m going to a class I would always go for gong though.
– Natalie
http://www.workovereasy.com
Heya! Love how you broke meditation down like that, never consciously did that before but it shows opportunity to integrate “guided thinking” into various times of the day. I currently meditate mornings and evenings if i’m on track, using insight timer for guidance cheers, finja
I have to try it!
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Have been meditating for many year and it has changed my life,I am calmer and more conscious. love mindful meditation I listen to my breath or sounds so that I can relax.I also like to close my eyes and feel myself clearing my head and noticing how muchI love the silence and relaxation of my body..I sometimes listen to meditation music to help relax while I am meditating.I took a class a while ago and it was a meditation on gratitude and compassion OMG at the time noticing my back was hurting. Guess what happened the ache went away I was stunned!
I really need to start practicing meditation for my anxiety. I tried Headspace for one day and then promptly forgot about it. My neighbor and her boyfriend just started going to guided meditation together, and I need to figure out how to convince my husband to do it too!
http://www.wonderlandsam.com
Thanks for this! Do you have any websites or recommendations for learning TM?
Hi Ann – pretty sure you can find everything you need here; tm.org
Good luck!!
Nice! Personally TM is my regular meditation practice – over 10 years and still loving it to pieces! It is the only technique that is wicked easy (no strain at all) and the one that delivers the most benefit to me including support for PTSD. I do use mindfulness when I teach and practice yoga – it works well in that context.
Good luck with your exploration.
We use Headspace! I also started years ago with Jon Kabat Zinn. Particularly remember his raisin meditation being eye opening.
This is a great list for us beginners. Meditating is definitely one of my goals for 2017 and it’s so hard to figure out the ‘right’ way to start. I focus so much on minimizing my impact in this world in terms of physical items, I forget that we should minimize our brain space too!
Sincerely, Tania
very interesting…thank you
I’ve tried to get into meditation many times, but I just can’t keep myself in the zone! I really hope to one day be able to relax. Maybe I’ll start with mindfulness like you suggested instead of going all out.
– Charmaine
http://charmainenyw.com
Thank you for this
I personally don’t meditate but I’d love to start as I think it would be beneficial to my mental state and coping with the stress of work!
Would you mind sharing where you attended the week long course?TIA!
I went to the David Lynch Foundation. XX
I’ve been doing a lot of guided meditations recently, but this has made me want to start TM!
xx Alyssa
VISIONS OF NYC // @alyszsa
Thanks for this and the tm.org