Meditation may seem easy enough but really, there are a number of techniques that you should also know and follow.

These various techniques are suited to the different types of personality. While some of these techniques can be considered concentrative (e.g. focusing), some can be considered expansive (e.g. Vipassana meditation style which allows for the thoughts to freely flow).

The following are some of the most common methods of meditation:

Mantra meditation – in this, specific sounds are repeated over and over again (japa) in order to achieve a meditative state. Interestingly, mantra literally means “revealed sound”.

Steady gaze (Trataka) – in this type of meditation, a steady gaze is performed on a single subject. This has actually been followed by a lot of religious systems including Sufism and Christianity.

Chakra – the word charka literally means “wheel” and therefore represents the major nerve plexi. This branches off the spinal cord and serves the body’s other major organs. There is a total of seven (7) chakras.

Others: Vipassana meditation, zazen, nada yoga and raj yoga meditation.