Meditation is a HUGE topic and what I cover in this site is only a part of what meditation can encompass because I write for people who want simple, easy to learn mediations that they can incorporate into every day life. The following article gives you a glimpse into some well known types of meditation.
Categories Of Meditation
Movement
- Yoga
- T’ai Chi
- Qigong
- Martial Arts in general seem to have a strong element of focus that I would classify as being akin to mindfulness.
- Breathing meditations
- Walking, Labyrinth Walks
- Dance, 4 (or 7) Directions Dance, Ecstatic Dance
- Continuous Movement (This seems to come under a few different names but the basic idea is allowing yourself to be moved by music in a flowing, continuous, unstructured manner. This lets you focus on movement and music, allowing the part(s) of your brain involved in movement and music to be fully engaged while the parts associated with language and judgement to take a break).
There are tons of different versions of what I would call movement meditation out there! Some are very structured, others very unstructured. Some have very strong religious / spiritual elements, others have no religious overtones whatsoever. There are even sensual / sexual based ones – um, I probably won’t be covering those in this site, sorry 🙂
Mindfulness or Being Present
It is impossible to list everything here, so I will tell you what I consider to be hallmarks of mindfulness.
Most actions when performed with full attention could be considered to be mindful. Even actions that are not “healthy” could technically fall into this category. For our purposes we will try and stick to the healthier versions!
Stopping the part of the brain that is in charge of language from running an on-going commentary. The Pre-frontal cortex seems to be the big talker and allowing it to take a break lets you to become more aware of, and fully experience what you are doing and the world around you.
Silence (absence of words). Yes, I know I just said that but it is so important it bears repeating 🙂
Fully employing your senses of vision, hearing, smell, touch and taste. Some mindfulness techniques focus on just one of the senses, (like watching a candle burn) others want you to fully experience ALL the senses involved in whatever action you are performing.
Energy Work
This includes
- Healing Touch
- Reiki
- Working with energy meridians and centers (chakras) to balance your own energy system, or those of other people
- Other healing work may rely on God or Universal Spirit, some rely on Angels, and yet others say they work all on their own without the help of divine intervention. There isn’t a common language to describe this process, as a result there are a LOT of different versions. One thing many of them have in common is that the person who does the healing work is usually in a state of meditation (church based versions would probably refer to it as being in a state of prayer).
- Energy Reading, includes things like Aura Reading or seeing an image that represents the person you are doing the reading for. This can involve the “reader” going into a very deep state of meditation, referred to as a trance.
Religion or Spiritually Based
Many meditations originate from various religious or spiritual practices. Just a few examples are
- Various religious chants
- Sufi Dances
- Prayers that require a focus on a word or idea like “Love” or “Peace”
- Some religious music is designed to be used as a point of meditation
- Some guided meditations involve following a guide, or angel
- Yoga when practiced as a whole life experience instead of just an exercise program, has spiritual elements
As you can see from this small sampling I’ve written about above, there are so many varieties of meditation that there really is something for everyone! I hope through this site that I can help you find a few that will work for you 🙂
To your health!