Meditation is the practice of clearing your mind and achieving calmness while bringing attention and awareness to the mind and body. And, as the world around us becomes increasingly chaotic, it has become a vital tool for balancing our emotions and combating anxiety and stress. 

There are many different styles of meditation. To help you find the right style for your goals and needs, let’s explore some of the most popular types of meditation in more detail.

Our Top 5 Types of Meditation

Different people respond to different styles of meditation. And, while all the different types of meditation are designed to improve our well-being and give us that beautiful ‘aaaah that’s better’ feeling, they can have different focuses that are better suited to certain situations.

 Breathwork Meditation

Convenient, easy, and free - breathwork is ideal for those who need a simple meditation practice to counterbalance a busy and stressful schedule. 

Breathwork is about consciously controlling your breathing. There are many types of breathwork but they all have one thing in common - they awaken the healing powers of your parasympathetic nervous system to promote calm and relaxation within the body. 

Some major benefits include:

• Improved oxygenation
• Stress reduction
• Better digestion 
• Increased lung capacity
• Enhanced mood

Popular types of breathwork include:

• Box breathing
• 4-7-8 breathing
• Alternate nostril breathing
• Diaphragmatic breathing
• Pranayama breathwork

The great thing about breathwork is that you can do it anywhere, anytime. All you need is yourself and your breath and you can reap the benefits and even reach flow state in as little as 5 minutes! 

To get started, check out our beginner’s guide to breathwork meditation.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is another convenient practice you can weave into your daily life. It’s all about tuning in to your thoughts, emotions, and experiences in the present moment.

The benefits of mindfulness include:

• Stress and anxiety reduction
• Improved memory
• Increased focus
• Decreased emotional reactivity
• Better cognitive flexibility

In an always-switched-on world, we all need a little bit of mindfulness. And, if you’re struggling with building relationships or regulating your emotions, mindfulness could help. 

Guided Meditation 

Guided meditation does exactly what it says on the tin—making it great for beginners. If you’re looking for a convenient at-home practice, there are many guided meditation apps and videos online. 

Different styles of meditation will be tailored for different goals, so look for titles that resonate for you, such as ‘meditation for sleep’, ‘meditation for anxiety’, or ‘meditation for mental clarity’.

PEMF Meditation

Want to take your meditation practice to the next level and feel the benefits throughout your body? Blend your meditation practice with a healthy DOSE of PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy). 

By mimicking our planet’s natural electromagnetic frequency, PEMF technology brings some of Earth’s most healing elements directly into your body. Imagine all of those amazing benefits you feel after spending time in the great outdoors and then some!

The benefits of PEMF therapy include:

• Muscle recovery
• Improved sleep quality
• Head-to-toe rejuvenation

PEMF technology moves through your entire body to encourage recovery. And, when you combine that with meditation’s ability to release stress and fatigue, it allows your mind and body to heal faster and more intensely. So, when you ground yourself on an Infrared PEMF mat for some meditation, you’re getting a double DOSE of all the good stuff.

Moving Meditation

If sitting still with your thoughts is tough for you, try combining it with some light activity. Whether it’s Yoga, Tai Chi, walking, dancing, or gentle stretching, moving your body while meditating can have an array of healing benefits, including:

• Stress and anxiety reduction
• Improved sleep
• Better emotional health

While the goal of moving meditation is not to have an intense workout, it is a great way to keep your body moving and encourage better physical and mental health.

How to Start Meditating

The best way to start meditation is to just do it. There’s no right or wrong here and it’s perfectly fine to try a few different styles of meditation before finding what works best for you. 

You may also find that different types of meditation work better at different times in your life (or even at different times of the day). Perhaps you’ll want to start the day with moving meditation and end it with breathwork on your Infrared PEMF Go Mat. You might find guided meditation helpful to start with and then prefer to go at your own pace once you’ve got the hang of things. 

Again, there’s no right or wrong—whatever feels good in your mind and body.

Keep Calm and Meditate

Meditation is all about self-care. It’s about taking time out of your day to slow down, focus your mind,  and give yourself the gift of calm and serenity. Whether you use meditation as part of your morning ritual or as a grounding tool for stressful parts of your day, you won’t regret carving out a few minutes to heal yourself from the inside out.