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Benefits of EquiSync:
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 A discussion of the different forms of meditation
Meditation is recognized in a wide variety of forms across the world. Different cultures and religions often practice different forms of meditation to others. All these groups of people use meditation for similar purposes, usually as a method of calming down, reducing stress, or simply to bring on a state of reflection.
While we can most certainly split up the different forms of meditation into categories, you will see different divisions everywhere you look. There is no single correct way to define the forms of meditation, but you will start to learn the basic categorizations after not too much reading around.
The two highest level groups can be defined to show the difference between types of meditation that involve deep concentration on an external object, sound, or action, such as the sound of breathing or rainfall, and those that involve concentration on your own thoughts and feelings. The first form of meditation is known as concentrative meditation, and the latter as mindfulness meditation.
Let’s take a look at the forms of meditation used by different religions. The differences in meditation techniques can vary wildly with religion. For instance, Hinduism views mediation as a way of achieving “eternal calmness”, which fits with the definition described above. However, Islam views its five-times-a-day prayer schedule as a form of meditation, something which many other religions would not agree with, although some branches of Christianity have similar beliefs. Buddhism, the religion which is believed to have invented meditation, some 5,000 years ago, involves the practice of two main forms of meditation, known as vipassana and shamatha, which focus on increasing concentration and developing wisdom respectively.
Although we have been discussing all these different forms of meditation, it is important to understand that what many people would call “meditation” often is not really meditation at all, and is more simply a period of deepened concentration. However, while some people argue that there is only one true form of meditation, which is when you achieve the state of awareness you have been aiming for, most people agree that meditation is actually the process used to get to that state, and if we take the more popular meaning of the word, it holds that there are many hundreds of forms of meditation. The only way to reach the “perfect state” is to practice and find out what works for you. For this reason, many new methods are developed all the time.
Overall, then, we have seen that the borders between the different forms of meditation are not at all clearly defined, and you will find completely different divisions everywhere you look. However, the easiest way to split meditation techniques into categories is to use religions as the dividing characteristic. The one thing that is certain is that there are a great many types of meditation, and more are being created all the time. The only way to truly benefit from this art is to try out various techniques and find out what works best for you.
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