Meditation is the one habit that I've preached about the most on this channel. And it's because
of the countless benefits that it can bring into your life. However, it is one of the
most challenging habits to build.
And this is because we often try to force ourselves to stick to a certain form of meditation
that may not suit us. When this happens, we are naturally met with a lot of resistance,
and it often feels like we are wasting our time.
This is why, today, I want to go over 7 of the most common forms of meditation. How each
of them work, what benefits each bring, and also who each of them are for. So that you
can find the one best suited for you and your needs allowing you to build the habit easier
with more success.
We will start off with the form of meditation that I personally practice the most, which
is called Mindfulness Breathing Meditation.
How does it work? Well, basically, you focus on the sensation of breathing – the feeling
of air going in your nose and out your mouth, and whenever a thought appears, you simply
notice it, let it float away, and then you bring your attention back to your breathing.
The key here is actually the noticing, that's where the word mindful comes from. You are
practicing your ability to observe your thoughts without judgment.
What sort of benefits does this form of meditation bring? I want to start off by saying that
almost all forms of meditation share some of the same benefits, such as stress reduction,
self-control, and focus. So I won't be bringing these things up unless the form of meditation
that we're talking about is especially good at producing a particular result.
Now - mindfulness breathing meditation falls under the scientific category of what's called
Open Awareness Meditations. Where you focus on becoming aware of your thoughts and feelings.
These forms of meditation have been shown to drastically increase your levels of creativity.
Allowing you to come up with many different ideas and solutions to problems.
It also trains you to let go of your thoughts. We all have negative thoughts about things
throughout the day. But - when we start thinking more about these thoughts, that's when we
actually begin to experience negative emotions. Mindfulness breathing meditation teaches you
to simply notice such thoughts and let them float away, preventing overthinking and the
negative side effects that come with it.
Who is this for? In the past, I've recommended everyone to start with this form of meditation
because it was the one that I am most familiar with – but over time, I've learned that
it's not for everyone. Starting with mindfulness breathing meditation can be quite difficult
for those of you that overthink or have never tried meditation before. But - if you want
to gain more control over how sensitive you are to negative thoughts and also how creative
you are, then this might be the best form of meditation for you.
The next form of meditation on our list is Metta Meditation also known as "Loving Kindness
Meditation" How does it work? When you practice Metta
Meditation your goal is to send love in several directions. You start off by visualizing and
sending love towards yourself by repeating a predetermined phrase like "May I be happy"
or "May I be healthy" in your head. After a while you do the same thing to a friend,
then to a stranger, then to someone you dislike, and finally to the universe as a whole.
What sort of benefits does this form of meditation bring? Well Loving Kindness meditation is
well known for increasing empathy towards other people. It has also been shown to reduce
pain, reduce negative emotions, and even help with PTSD. There has even been research that
suggests that it increases the amount of grey matter in your brain associated with emotional
intelligence. Which, in theory, could mean that it can improve your social skills
Who is this form of meditation for? Metta meditation is good if you feel like you have
a lot of hate or anger within you – whether it's guided towards yourself or other people.
When you practice this form of meditation, you are essentially training yourself to be
more loving. And as cheesy as this may sound, it can definitely bring a lot more happiness
into your life. This may also be a good form of meditation to practice if you've suffered
from past traumas.
The next form of meditation on our list is Guided meditation
How does it work? Well basically this is any form of meditation where a narrator is
guiding you through the process. You simply follow their instructions – and that's basically
it. The meditation sessions can vary greatly depending on the video or app you are using.
What sort of benefits does this form of meditation bring? I would definitely say that this form
of meditation is the easiest form on our list. And that's because you don't really have to
deal with complete silence and the doubts that come when practicing meditation by yourself.
However, listening to someone talk while you meditate may prevent you from going deep where
many of the benefits and realizations lie. Which is why I believe guided meditation gives
you all the benefits that other forms of meditation bring, but with much less intensity.
Who is this form of meditation for? Guided meditation is something you should consider
if you've tried other forms of meditation but felt like it was too difficult. There's
no harm, in putting on some training wheels and getting used to sitting still for extended
periods of time before eventually moving onto more advanced forms of meditation.
On the side note: if you feel like you need help building a habit of meditation or any
habit in general. – then you should definitely sign up for
my newsletter in the description box below. I'll be providing more resources to help you
build habits out over there and you'll also gain access to a free mini-course!
Next up we got Focused Attention Meditation.
How does it work? Well technically, Focused Attention Meditation involves any sort of
meditation where you focus on a particular stimulus of any kind. It can be a sound, a
sensation in your body, or even something visual like an object.
This might sound a bit similar to mindfulness breathing meditation and that's actually because
mindfulness breathing meditation consists of a mix between focused attention meditation
and open awareness meditation.
The main difference is that you don't really spend much time observing that you are having
thoughts with focused attention meditation. It's more about getting yourself to focus
as much as possible on a single sensation.
What are the benefits to this? Researchers have actually discovered that Focused Attention
Meditation activates and strengthens a part of the brain that open awareness meditation
does not - the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. This is the
part of our brain used for detecting errors, overcoming impulses, and solving problems.
Which suggests that practicing this form of meditation will help improve all 3 of these
things.
Who is this for? This form of meditation is perfect for those of you that are looking
to use meditation to excel in school or in your career as it trains your brain to find
solutions to problems more effectively.
It's also great for those of you that struggle with focusing – especially when it comes
to studying And to top that off it is one of the best
forms of meditation to practice when it comes to impulse control – which should help you
overcome your addictions easier.
This is in my opinion, an easier form of meditation to practice as compared to mindfulness breathing
meditation because you only need to do one thing as compared to 2. So if you're new to
meditation, it is one of the better forms of meditation to start with.
And that's why this episode was brought to you with the help of the guys at Mesmerize.
Mesmerize is a visual meditation app that you can download on your Apple or Android
device that allows you to practice Focused Attention Meditation. I started using it recently
and I definitely feel like it's been improving my ability to focus more.
I was blown away by how many beautiful moving visuals they have, which has made it really
easy to become fully immersed and focused during my meditation sessions. What's great
is that they also have a bunch of guided meditation and music that you can layer on top of the
visuals that can help anyone from beginners to experts get the most from the experience.
It works incredibly well, just try it and see for yourself!
To celebrate passing 1 million users, mesmerize will be offering a special promotion. Go to www.mesmerizeapp.com/buy and
use coupon code PILL to get 40% off. Go check it out and let me know what you think about
the app in the comments down below!
The next form of meditation on our list is Mantra Meditation.
How does it work? Mantra meditation is a special form of meditation where you focus
on repeating a phrase or a series of words over and over again. You can honestly chose
whatever mantra you want just keep in mind that the best mantras are positively phrased.
For example "I am calm" is a better mantra to repeat than "I do not worry".
What are the benefits to this? The benefits really depend on which mantra you choose.
When you repeat a phrase to yourself so many times and focus on it with such intensity
– you start to believe it. This is similar to how we obtained the beliefs that we currently
have about ourselves and life in general. We repeated them thousands of times in our
head until they became true.
So in a way mantra meditation can reprogram the way you think and view yourself.
For example if you use a mantra like "My life is full of joy" you will actually start to
become more grateful for the little things throughout the day. If you use a mantra like
"I can achieve anything I put my mind to" you will start feeling more confident in your
abilities which would cause you to take more action.
Who is this for? Mantra meditation is for anyone who feels like they have a certain
belief about themselves or about life that is holding them back. Because it allows you
to pinpoint a specific problem that you have and fix it. This is a good form of meditation
to practice if you are not looking to gain multiple benefits but rather to fix one specific
problem.
Next up on our list is Pranayama Meditation. Also known as breath control meditation.
How does it work? This form of meditation is more about controlling the pacing of your
breathing. It is actually often taught as a breathing exercise in the form of the 4/4/4/4
box method. Basically you breath in through your nose for 4 seconds. Hold your breath
for 4 seconds. Exhale slowly for 4 seconds. And then wait for 4 seconds and then you repeat
the entire process over and over again.
What are the benefits to this? This form of meditation is most widely known for it's
calming benefits. Studies have shown that it lowers your blood pressure, reduces stress,
and even helps you fall asleep. It is also one of the only forms of meditation that have
been shown to strengthen your lungs.
Who is this for? This is a good form of meditation to practice if you suffer from a lot of stress
or anxiety. In fact the box breathing method is usually taught not as a form of meditation
but as a method used to calm people down. It is also one of the easier forms of meditation
to practice because you are not focusing on being present or emptying your mind. You are
simply focusing on breathing at a certain pace.
And finally we have Moving Meditation.
How does it work? Well moving meditation is done when you are completely focused on
making some sort of movement. Whether it's walking, doing chores, yoga, or even dancing.
While you move you focus on the physical changes and sensations that occur. For example if
you chose to practice moving meditation while walking your focus will be on the feeling
of your feet touching the ground and pushing off and so on.
What are the benefits to this? I believe that the main benefit to moving meditation
is that it teaches you how to enter the flow state. This is because certain movements,
such as dance, force you to be creative and present at the same time. Because you have
to decide which movement you will make next. Which is something that doesn't happen with
any of the other forms of meditation.
Who is this for? This form of meditation is great if you have a hard time sitting still.
Maybe you have some health issues that prevent you from doing so or maybe you feel too jittery.
This however, can become a double edged sword because moving often makes it easier to forget
that your goal is to meditate. It is much much harder to get into a deep meditative
state while moving because you are basically multi-tasking.
But this is a great form of meditation that you can incorporate into your day to day life
if you feel like you are a busy person. Because you can practice this form of meditation with
any movement. Which includes washing dishes and even taking a shower.
And that's it – these are 7 of the most common forms of meditation out there.
I recommend that you try some of these out to see which one is best suited for you.
Once you do – please let me know in the comments down below about your experience!
Now If you'd like to learn more about the benefits meditation
there's a link in the description box below that you can check out.
And remember if you need help building habits and getting them to actually stick then you
should sign up for my newsletter in the description box below. When you join my email list, I
will inform you about the next time I run the Habit Builder Challenge. Which is a special
program that I've designed to get people to stick to their habits. Besides that, I hope
this video was helpful, and stay tuned!