How to Meditate

Decisions, decisions. Got a toughie? Try this time-tested process for discovering —the right action.

Turning your light inward and embarking on the path of self-inquiry is a simple but powerful method of meditation.

Through the practice of yoga, you can learn to hear—and follow—your inner guidance.

Do happiness and peace sound like worthy goals? You may be surprised how enlightened you'll feel if you just "pretend."

Quiet your racing mind and tune in to the stillness that resides inside you by practicing mantra meditation.

This four-part meditation clears the heart and quiets the mind.

Learn how to explore, welcome, and accept your toughest emotions to begin to make peace with them.

Try this Tantric meditation on light. One of its purposes is to make you aware of the essentially spiritual, or subtle, nature of the physical body, which Tantrikas regard as a condensed form of divine light, or divine sound vibration.

If you think there's no way to get your mind off of discomfort in your body, try this practice to shift how you experience it.

Sat Kriya is one of the most basic and powerful exercises of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan.

Try this calming meditation to keep holiday stress at bay.

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This meditation will help you visualize the ideal work situation so you can bring it to life.

Practice mantra meditation to tune in to the stillness that resides within you.

Confronting a stressful situation is hard, but if you go with the flow when dealing with stress, it may become easier.

No matter what you’re feeling, this powerful practice can allow you to meet yourself exactly where you are.

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Meditation encourages students to apply the strength and balance generated during asana practice to learn how to manage their minds.

Sometimes the fastest way to speed things up is to slow down. Try this slow-motion hand meditation to clear your mind.

When you deny the reality of life, you appreciate it less. Meditate on the Buddha's Five Remembrances and rediscover the magic of life just as it is.

If you've considered taking up meditation but don't know where to begin, start here to find the technique that's right for you.

Through the practice of yoga, we can learn to hear— and follow —our inner guidance.

Quieting the mind doesn't have to mean shushing your many inner voices. By letting them have their say, you can discover the all-encompassing stillness of Big Mind.

In the classical yoga tradition, hatha yoga is practiced as preparation for seated meditation. So over time, you might naturally find yourself drawn inward toward more contemplative practices.

Everyday noises can be irritating and distracting— or they can provide another vehicle for mindfulness.

As taught by the late Eknath Easwaran, passage meditation offers us the chance to let spiritual texts deeply penetrate our being.

To harness the energy of the mind, you must learn to see beyond the content of your thoughts to their very substance.

Learn how to infuse your hatha yoga practice with metta in motion to find your lovingkindness.

Recognize and explore your edge, the point you are not willing to go beyond, in order to move past it.

Meditation and mindfulness don't have to only happen sitting down. Learn how to incorporate your mindfulness in motion and your entire practice.

Rather than straining to quiet the mind in meditation, simply relax into the quiet that contains the mind.

Having thoughts arise during meditation is normal, but are you clinging to these thoughts rather than simply watching them drift by?

Surrendering to the unknown is less frightening if you have faith that something will catch you when you fall—whatever name you call it by.

Your new favorite form of mindfulness.

By visualizing your heart as a lotus flower, you can begin to create a safe, comfortable place for your mind to settle.

Based on Taoist Meditation practice, Shiva Rea's inner smile meditation is an opportunity smile at yourself and embrace your happiness.

Try this meditation to nourish the heart from the inside out.

Learn why you should vocalize your mantras instead of silently thinking them to benefit the heart and the central nervous system.

Loving-kindness meditation (metta) challenges us to send love and compassion to the difficult people in our lives, —including ourselves.

Put aside your expectations and allow your mind to relax into its true state of meditation.

When we begin to practice meditation, we come to recognize the sense of limitation that has been imposed on our lives.

What keeps a meditation practice going for 25 years? Renowned author Natalie Goldberg offers some insight.

Knowing what to do with your wandering thoughts is perhaps the greatest challenge for meditators.

Finding the right concentration technique for your meditation practice means opening as many doors as possible.

Know whether to exhale through the mouth or nose during pranayama breathing or just in natural breathing.

Shiva Rea offers a meditation is based upon the mantra "so hum," ("I am that") used within the traditions of Tantra and Vedanta.

This contemplation meditation is an opportunity to focus "thinking mind" on the mystery of being.

If you're not meditating, are you really doing yoga?

If you're having difficulty meditating because of back pain, you could be sitting incorrectly.

Are you ready to tap into all the benefits that meditation offers? Here's our go-to guide on how to get started.

This concentration practice grounds you in the present moment.

This five-part meditation clears the heart and quiets the mind.

Cautiously relinquishing her reservations about meditation, a Vermont writer signs up for a nine-day silent retreat.