Our full selection of articles exploring meditation.
A self love meditation is a way to internalize compassion and love for yourself. This short guided meditation for self love can help you start to rewire your brain for self love, positivity, and inherent worthiness. For some reason, we often tend to treat ourselves worse than we treat others. Forgiving ourselves is often harder…
A confidence meditation is one way to begin to trust yourself, and your own intuition, in a stronger way. This short meditation will help you make progress towards building trust and confidence in yourself. By repeating affirmations that promote trust in yourself and increased self-worth, you can internalize an enhanced sense of confidence. Over time,…
Movement meditation practices like yoga, walking meditation, and tai chi are a way to bring a more active energy to your meditation practice. We often think of meditation as a practice that happens in stillness – but it doesn’t have to be, as long as you’re still paying attention to the present moment, nonjudgmentally. Some…
You’ve no doubt heard many of the most popular facts about meditation. Perhaps you’ve heard meditation can make your body healthier, your mind clearer, and even physically make your brain larger! Meditation is associated with all kinds of interesting facts, benefits, and studies. But beyond just the physical and mental, meditation can have a ripple…
Meditation journal prompts make meditation journaling easy. If you’re looking to get started journaling about your meditation experience, keep it simple: grab a piece of paper or open a new note on your phone, and jot a few notes down about your experience. To make it even easier, use a meditation journal template and prompts….
One of the most universally relaxing sounds we can hear as humans is the sound of running water. That’s why so many spas have the sounds of gurgling creeks playing in the background. It’s also why meditating next to rivers, lakes, and oceans is so captivating. A water meditation is any meditation technique that focuses…
Most meditators agree that the goal of meditation is to build awareness, increase peace and calm, and live more fully in the present moment. But beyond that, there’s a wide variety of answers. Each person comes to their meditation practice with their own set of goals. I meditate primarily because I want more peace and…
Harming others, on purpose or not, comes with being human. That’s why having the capacity to forgive yourself is so important. This 10-minute meditation will help you make progress towards forgiving yourself. As we go through this world, we make all kinds of mistakes. It happens every day. We hurt people we love, we hurt…
Not every meditation technique works perfectly for everyone. Oftentimes, experienced meditators go through multiple forms of meditation before settling on one that connects best with them, or feels like it has the greatest effect on their daily experience. You might start with concentration meditation, for example, then do a Vipassana retreat, before switching to mantra…
It’s easy to lose sight of just how powerful of a ripple effect meditation can have on your life. If you’re just starting your meditation journey, you might struggle with deciding how much time to invest in a practice that has uncertain payoff. If you’re a regular meditator, it may be hard to keep motivation…
Ask ten people what meditation feels like, and you’re likely to get ten different answers. Meditation is an intensely personal experience. The experience of meditation doesn’t only differ from person to person. The same person can have a wildly different meditation experience from session to session. In my case, I experience calm, relaxing meditation sessions…
“Is meditation worth it?” If you’re considering starting a meditation practice, you might be asking yourself this question. Or, you might be hitting a wall in your existing meditation practice and wondering if it’s worth continuing. I get it. I frequently have to encourage myself to keep my meditation practice going. With anything that requires…
Have you ever been trying to eat healthier, and then (inexplicably) found yourself in front of the pantry eating potato chips? Me too. I wish it wasn’t this way, but falling off the wagon is usually a part of the process. To risk a case of too many metaphors, it’s all about getting back on…
The main difference between contemplation and meditation is that meditation is a practice that focuses on clearing the mind, while contemplation is a more analytical and reflective practice that involves thinking deeply about a particular topic or concept. Sometimes, all you need is to understand your own thoughts. When that happens, you sit down and…
If you meditate before exams, it can help clear your mind and create a more receptive state for learning. Just 10 minutes may be enough to boost your focus and concentration ahead of your study session. If your mind tends to race when you’re supposed to be studying or before you take an exam, you’re…
When meditating, you should put your hands in the position that’s most comfortable for you. Common poses include one hand clasping the other, and each hand resting on one knee. There are also a number of ‘mudras’ you can try that carry meaning in some meditation traditions. Whether you’re just starting meditation or have been…
World Meditation Day happens every year on May 21. Let’s be honest: most of the “National this-and-that” days that show up on your social media feeds these days are marketing stunts. But World Meditation Day doesn’t have an agenda. It’s just a gentle reminder that if you’re looking for less stress and more calm, meditation…
It’s hard enough meditating with all the thoughts your mind generates. Adding environmental noise on top of your normal mental chatter can create a distracting atmosphere where it feels almost impossible to meditate. But surprisingly, it is possible. Even though I’m a die-hard “noise-canceling headphones and music” type of meditator, I even gave “noisy meditation”…
Shaolin meditation techniques originated hundreds of years ago in China, and they show up frequently in movies and popular culture. But what exactly is Shaolin meditation? And how is it different from other meditation techniques? Meditation never looks cooler than when it’s being done by Shaolin monks. If you’ve seen a martial arts movie, you’ve…
The effects of meditation are most commonly seen within eight weeks of daily practice. However, it’s possible for meditation practitioners to notice small changes before that—even as soon as the first meditation session. It’s also possible to have difficulty noticing the changes brought on by meditation even after eight weeks of practice. The experience differs…
