There are many different types of meditation and the techniques can vary from being very simple to being quite complex. The benefits of meditation can be great as many studies have been done outlining many of the potential health benefits from reduction in stress to less symptoms of disease. Here are a few different techniques to help you learn meditation.

Breathing Exercise:

This is a very simple technique and simply requires that you put your mental attention on your breathing. Simply turn your mental focus to your breathing as you breathe in and then out. Try to only think of your breathing, if you find other thoughts entering your mind then simply return your focus gently back on the breath.

Do this for five to ten minutes a day or whenever you feel you need to get rid of some tension and stress. Over time you will experience fewer distractions and you will be able to slip into that quiet frame of mind quicker and experience the peace and tranquility that it brings.

Guided Meditation:

This kind of meditation is usually accompanied by music usually sounds of nature or other non verbal music that is slow and gentle. It is also best to do this in a quiet room without any other kinds of distractions. You can light an incense that you like to help to relax you further.

Now focus on a pure space inside of your heart and see a light there. Then envision this light spreading slowly throughout your body and then see the light extending outside your body to the space around you. Maintain your focus on this light and avoid external thoughts. The idea is to get to that state of a quiet peaceful mind that is also potentially the least stressful and thus may offer great health benefits.

Chakra Meditation:

Chakra meditation is based on concentrating on the various energies that lie within us and by simply paying attention to different regions of our body we have the potential to get great health benefits in those particular regions. There are seven chakras that you need to learn when performing this type of meditation.

They are the root chakra, feeling chakra, personality chakra, heart chakra, throat chakra, knowledge and crown chakra. There are indeed a few things to learn so be patient and take your time to learn this type of meditation. When performing this type of meditation make sure that your focus is on one chakra at a time and you need to clear your thoughts.

You can also add some relaxing music to the background if you like and make sure that you are in a room that is free of distractions so be sure to turn the television or radio off. The main idea is to feel a connection with everything around you. There are many books and tapes written that can show you in detail how to do this type of meditation as it can get complex.

Zen Meditation:

Zen meditation is also defined as the study of the self. It is best to do this in a seated position called the burmese position. Make sure to keep the back straight as this will make deep breathing occur much more naturally. The deep breathing that occurs during this type of meditation can offer many health benefits as by introducing more oxygen into your system you help to cleanse and energy your body.

One of the things you do in zen meditation is to stay in the same position for fifteen to twenty minutes. This will help you to develop a quieter mind by restricting your physical movements. Often a scattered mind is what causes significant stress in the lives of many so learning to reduce your thoughts can be very stress relieving. Pick a meditation approach you feel comfortable with and learn all you can about it and most importantly do it on a regular basis to reap the benefits.