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You don't have to focus on your breath, monitor your body or empty your mind to meditate. There are dozens of different meditation techniques. I'll list about 20 in this thread, the classification/division is arbitrary. I've tried most of these, obviously not all in depth.
- Open monitoring: noticing sensations as they arise (internal, external or both).
- Noting: labeling each sensation, or certain types of sensations.
- Body scan: moving your attention around your body, speed varying from several scans per second to one scan taking hours.
- Noting: labeling each sensation, or certain types of sensations.
- Body scan: moving your attention around your body, speed varying from several scans per second to one scan taking hours.
- Yoga, qigong etc: mindfulness of movement.
- Walking meditation: focusing on the (muscular) sensations of walking. Similar meditation can be done with anything, e.g. mindful eating.
- Insight dialogue: using conversation as the meditation object, not being absorbed into it.
- Walking meditation: focusing on the (muscular) sensations of walking. Similar meditation can be done with anything, e.g. mindful eating.
- Insight dialogue: using conversation as the meditation object, not being absorbed into it.
- Mantra meditation (includes Transcendental Meditation): focusing on repeating a syllable or a phrase, either out loud or in your head.
- Sound meditation: focusing on a sound, e.g. a metronome or a gong. Focus may then be moved to the experience of hearing.
- Sound meditation: focusing on a sound, e.g. a metronome or a gong. Focus may then be moved to the experience of hearing.
- Kasina/trataka: staring at an object (or flame), then closing the eyes to focus on the afterimage.
- Skygazing.
- Visualization: often picturing elaborate mandalas/deities but can be e.g. colors.
- Tummo (inner fire): special breathing + visualization to create physical warmth.
- Skygazing.
- Visualization: often picturing elaborate mandalas/deities but can be e.g. colors.
- Tummo (inner fire): special breathing + visualization to create physical warmth.
- Metta (loving-kindness): sending feelings of love to yourself, loved ones, neutral people and enemies.
- Forgiveness meditation: sending forgiveness to yourself and people who have wronged you.
- Tonglen: breathing in particular suffering and breathing out compassion.
- Forgiveness meditation: sending forgiveness to yourself and people who have wronged you.
- Tonglen: breathing in particular suffering and breathing out compassion.
- Shikantaza/"do nothing": objectiveless meditation.
- Meditating on awareness, spaciousness or gaps in things.
- Dream yoga: lucid dreaming as meditation.
- Yoga nidra: hypnosis-like, combines e.g. visualization and body scan.
- Meditating on awareness, spaciousness or gaps in things.
- Dream yoga: lucid dreaming as meditation.
- Yoga nidra: hypnosis-like, combines e.g. visualization and body scan.
- Inquiry: meditating on open questions (somewhat similar to koan practice).
- Analytical meditation: focusing on questions/concepts more analytically.
- Maranasati: meditation on death or corpses, e.g. to combat lustfulness.
- Analytical meditation: focusing on questions/concepts more analytically.
- Maranasati: meditation on death or corpses, e.g. to combat lustfulness.
- Jhana practice: eight sequential pleasant states that can be accessed with e.g. metta, breath or kasina practice, varying from effervescent joy to equanimity and non-conceptuality. Essentially feedback loops, so experienced meditators can use almost anything to get into them.
