Have you ever sat down to meditate and wondered if you’re “doing it right”?
Maybe you’ve tried the peaceful-sounding guided meditation your friend swears by, only to find your mind racing faster than before you started.
Or perhaps you’ve attempted the mindfulness practice your therapist recommended, but found yourself falling asleep instead of finding clarity.
The truth is that meditation isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Just like we all have different personalities, learning styles, and preferences, we also respond differently to various meditation techniques. In other words, what works beautifully for your yoga-obsessed colleague might feel completely wrong for you.
And that’s perfectly okay.
In fact, finding the right type of meditation for your specific personality and needs is often the difference between building a life-changing practice and giving up after a week because, “meditation just isn’t for me.”
But with so many different approaches to meditation, there’s almost certainly one that will resonate with you – even if you consider yourself the world’s biggest skeptic.
So, below, we explore the nine main types of meditation and help you discover which one might be your perfect match for mental well-being.
What Are the 9 Types of Meditation?
Meditation is a practice of focusing the mind and redirecting thoughts to achieve a state of mental clarity, calm, and self-awareness.
It often involves techniques like mindful breathing or concentration on a single point of focus to reduce stress and enhance overall well-being. But it also encompasses a wide range of different varieties.
Here are the top nine most common ones.
1. Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation involves paying close attention to the present moment—your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment—without judgment.
You typically focus on your breath while observing thoughts as they come and go, acknowledging them without getting caught up in them.
This practice is ideal for those who want to:
- reduce stress
- improve focus
- develop greater self-awareness
It’s particularly helpful for overthinkers who need to step back from their thoughts and gain perspective.
In other good news, mindfulness itself is a simple practice that can be done anywhere, requiring only a few minutes of your time. You might start with short sessions (5-10 minutes) and gradually build up. All you need is a comfortable place to sit!
2. Guided Meditation
Guided meditation is a practice led by a teacher, either in person or through recordings, who walks you through a specific meditation experience from start to finish. In other words, it can involve various meditation techniques.
You simply follow verbal instructions that direct your attention, often incorporating visualization exercises, body scans, or storytelling elements that keep your mind engaged.
This approach is perfect for beginners and those who struggle with maintaining focus on their own, as well as people who thrive with structure and clear direction.
While Daily Motivation’s YouTube channel can prove to be a great resource here, you can also turn to phone apps like Headspace, Calm, or Insight Timer.
3. Transcendental Meditation (TM)
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a specific form of silent mantra meditation taught exclusively by certified instructors through a standardized course.
During practice, you silently repeat a personalized mantra (a specific word or sound selected for you) for 20 minutes twice daily, allowing your mind to settle naturally into a state often described as “restful alertness.”
TM is particularly beneficial for those seeking deep relaxation and stress reduction with a structured, no-guesswork approach. It tends to appeal to people who prefer clear, consistent techniques they can rely on.
Unlike some more flexible practices, TM involves a formal learning process with a specific technique that remains consistent throughout your lifetime of practice. Websites like tm.org offer an easy way to find a teacher near you!
Related Article: Find Your Zen: 25 Daily Mantras to Cultivate a Positive Mindset
4. Loving-Kindness Meditation
Loving-kindness meditation is a heart-centered practice focused on developing genuine feelings of goodwill, kindness, and warmth toward others and yourself.
During the practice, you silently repeat phrases of well-wishing (such as “May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be safe”), starting with directing these thoughts toward yourself and gradually extending outward to loved ones, neutral people, difficult people, and eventually all beings everywhere.
This practice is especially powerful for those:
- working through relationship challenges
- seeking to develop greater compassion
- healing from the heavy burden of resentment and anger
It can be an emotionally profound practice that might feel challenging at first, especially when directing loving-kindness toward difficult people in your life or even toward yourself if self-compassion doesn’t come naturally. However, the benefits speak for themselves!
5. Body Scan Meditation
Body scan meditation is a systematic practice of bringing careful attention to each part of your body, typically moving from head to toe or vice versa.
During the practice, you mentally scan through your entire body, noting physical sensations without trying to change them, usually while lying down in a comfortable position.
This form of meditation can help ease physical tension and stress-related ailments.
As you practice regularly, you’ll likely experience increased body awareness, profound physical relaxation, and sometimes the surprising discovery of tension patterns you didn’t even realize you were holding in various parts of your body.
6. Movement Meditation
Yes, movement can count as meditation, too!
Movement meditation incorporates gentle and mindful movement as the focus of your meditation.
Rather than trying to quiet the mind while sitting still, you bring full awareness to physical movements, which might include walking mindfully, practicing tai chi, flowing through gentle yoga poses, engaging in qigong, or even bringing meditative awareness to everyday activities like gardening or washing dishes.
7. Chakra Meditation
Chakra meditation is a practice rooted in ancient traditions, focused on balancing the body’s seven main energy centers (chakras) through visualization, sound, and awareness techniques.
During chakra meditation, you direct focused attention to each of these energy centers situated along the spine from the base to the crown of the head, often visualizing each chakra’s associated color (like red for the root chakra or purple for the crown) and repeating its corresponding sound or mantra.
8. Zen Meditation (Zazen)
Zen meditation, or Zazen, is a traditional Buddhist practice that emphasizes precise posture, breath awareness, and the direct observation of the mind without elaboration or judgment.
Practitioners typically sit in a specific formal posture on a cushion with a straight spine, focus on the breath (often counting or simply following it), and observe thoughts without attachment or engagement. It’s often practiced with your eyes open, softly gazing downward to maintain alertness.
So, who might this work well for? Well, this meditation style may appeal to those seeking a disciplined, traditional approach. Zazen is known as a relatively strict form requiring discipline and sustained concentration, often practiced in longer sessions than some other forms. It often spans from 30 to 50 minutes.
For proper practice, you’ll likely need a meditation cushion (zafu) or bench to support correct posture and, ideally, some initial instruction from an experienced practitioner who can correct subtle but important details in your approach.
9. Visualization Meditation
Visualization meditation harnesses the power of imagination to create specific mental images, scenes, or outcomes that promote positive change and well-being. In other words, this meditation leads you to create detailed mental pictures of places, situations, and more.
This approach is especially effective for creative types, visual learners, those working toward specific personal or professional goals, or anyone seeking healing from physical or emotional challenges.
Related Article: What is Kundalini Energy? The Benefits & How Can It Help You
How Do You Know Which is Best for You?
Finding your ideal meditation style is a personal journey that depends on your unique temperament, goals, and challenges. If you’re analytical, you might prefer the structure of transcendental or mindfulness meditation. Creative types often connect with visualization or movement practices. Meanwhile, emotionally oriented people frequently resonate with loving-kindness meditation.
Consider what you hope to achieve: stress reduction (try body scan), better relationships (loving-kindness works wonders), spiritual growth (explore Zen or chakra meditation), or improved focus (mindfulness can help).
The right meditation for you should feel challenging yet doable, and remember: the best technique is simply the one you’ll practice consistently. Many experienced meditators switch between styles based on their needs in the moment. The only way to truly know what works is to experience different approaches firsthand.
Start Today and Feel Less Stressed Tomorrow!
Meditation is highly personal, and the only way to truly discover what works for you is through experience. Consider sampling different styles through free apps or YouTube videos, taking a meditation workshop that introduces various techniques, or starting with just five minutes daily of a technique that interests you. Pay attention to which practice you naturally look forward to returning to—that’s often your best indicator of a good fit.
Explore with an open mind, be patient with yourself, and remember that meditation is a journey, not a destination. The right practice for you today might evolve as you grow, and that’s all part of the beautiful process of developing greater awareness and inner peace!
Read Next: Living in Balance: 4 Practices to Make 2025 an Incredibly Peaceful Year
Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich