Types of Meditation: 8 Simple Styles for Beginners

There are many types of meditation, but most beginners only need to know eight: breath awareness, body scan, loving kindness, walking, mantra, visualization, guided, and moving meditation like tai chi. They all train the same skill, steady attention. The best one to start with is the one you will actually do for a few minutes a day.

If the list feels overwhelming, relax. You do not need to try them all, and you do not need to pick the “right” one on day one. Most styles share the same basic move: rest your attention on something, notice when it drifts, and gently bring it back.

I am not a meditation teacher. I am a NASM-certified trainer with years of martial arts behind me, including tai chi and Wing Chun, where calm focus and slow breathing are part of training. This guide is the plain-English tour I wish more beginners got.

Jump to a sectionIn this article9 sections

1. How the Types of Meditation Differ
2. Types of Meditation: 8 Styles a Beginner Can Try
3. Which Style Fits You Best
4. Vipassana, Zen, Transcendental Meditation and Yoga Nidra
5. How to Choose Your First Style
6. Common Mistakes When Trying Different Styles
7. Your This-Week Plan
8. Quick Questions
9. The Bottom Line

How the Types of Meditation Differ

The styles mostly differ in two ways: what you focus on, and how much you do on purpose.

Some styles use a single anchor, like the breath or a word. Others widen your attention to the whole body or to whatever shows up. Some are quiet and still, and others involve walking or slow movement.

None of them is better across the board. A style that helps one person settle might bore or frustrate another. That is why it helps to know your options. For the full beginner setup, including posture and timing, start with my guide on how to meditate for beginners.

Types of Meditation: 8 Styles a Beginner Can Try

Here are the eight styles I would put in front of any beginner. Each one includes a simple way to try it today.

1. Breath Awareness

You rest your attention on the feeling of your natural breath, at the nostrils, chest or belly. When your mind wanders, you notice and return.

Try it: sit tall, breathe through your nose, and count each out-breath from 1 to 10. If you lose count, start again at 1. Three minutes is plenty for a first go.

2. Body Scan

You move your attention slowly through the body, usually from the feet up or the head down, noticing sensations without trying to change them.

Try it: lie down or sit, and spend about 20 to 30 seconds on each area: feet, legs, hips, belly, chest, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, face. It is a good choice if you carry tension and do not always notice it. It is close to, but not the same as, progressive muscle relaxation, where you tense and release muscles on purpose.

3. Loving Kindness

Also called metta, this style comes from Buddhist tradition and is now widely taught in secular settings. You silently repeat kind wishes, such as “May I be safe. May I be healthy. May I be happy. May I live with ease.”

Try it: say the phrases for yourself, then for someone you love. If wishing yourself well feels awkward, start with the loved one. It can feel a little fake at first, and that is normal.

4. Walking Meditation

You walk slowly and pay attention to the feeling of each step: the heel, the roll of the foot, the shift of weight. Eyes stay open and your hands rest relaxed at your sides.

Try it: pick a clear, safe stretch of about ten steps, like a hallway. Walk it slowly, turn, and walk back for five minutes. Keep awareness of your surroundings, especially outdoors.

5. Mantra Meditation

You silently repeat a word or short phrase to give your mind something steady to hold. The word can be anything calming and neutral, like “calm,” “here” or “one.”

Try it: breathe in and silently say “here,” breathe out and say “now.” When you notice you have drifted, go back to the words. Many busy minds find a word easier to hold than the breath.

6. Visualization

You picture a calm scene or a simple image and let your attention rest in it. Think of a quiet beach, a forest path, or warm light filling a room.

Try it: close your eyes and build one scene slowly with your senses. What do you see, hear, and feel on your skin? Keep it simple. Visualization here is a focus tool, not a way to “manifest” anything.

7. Guided Meditation

A recorded voice walks you through the practice, often using one of the styles above. It is useful when you are new and your mind wants instructions.

Try it: search a free meditation app or video site for a 5 to 10 minute beginner session. Look for a calm pace, plain language, and no big promises. Over time, you may find you can go without the voice.

8. Moving Meditation: Tai Chi and Qigong

Tai chi and qigong pair slow, flowing movement with relaxed breathing and focused attention. This is the style closest to my own training, and it suits people who feel restless sitting still.

Try it: stand with soft knees, breathe in as you slowly float your arms up to shoulder height, and breathe out as they sink back down. Repeat for two to three minutes. To go deeper, read about the mind-body connection in tai chi and how qigong and tai chi compare.

Which Style Fits You Best

Here is a quick way to match a style to what you need right now.

Style	Effort	Best For
Breath awareness	Low	First-timers and quick daily practice
Body scan	Low	Tension you carry without noticing
Loving kindness	Medium	Harsh self-talk and feeling disconnected
Walking	Low	Restless bodies and busy minds
Mantra	Low	Racing thoughts that need a simple job
Visualization	Medium	Calming down when you like imagery
Guided	Very low	Beginners who want instructions
Tai chi, qigong	Medium	People who prefer to move

If you are still unsure, start with breath awareness or a short guided session. Both are simple and easy to fit into a busy day.

Vipassana, Zen, Transcendental Meditation and Yoga Nidra

You will run into these names quickly, so here is what each one means in plain terms. I am describing them, not recommending any paid program.

Vipassana vs Zen

Vipassana, often translated as “insight,” comes from Theravada Buddhist tradition. It usually starts with the breath and widens to noticing sensations, thoughts and feelings as they come and go. It is often taught in long silent retreats, which is a big jump for a beginner.

Zen meditation, or zazen, comes from Japanese Buddhist tradition. You sit upright, often with eyes slightly open and gaze lowered, and either count breaths or “just sit” with whatever arises. Both share roots with modern mindfulness practice.

Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Meditation, or TM, is a specific trademarked form of mantra meditation, usually practiced for about 20 minutes twice a day. It is taught through paid courses with a certified teacher.

If you are curious about mantra work, you can start with a simple word on your own for free, as in style 5 above. A paid course is a personal choice, not a requirement.

Yoga Nidra and NSDR

Yoga nidra is a guided practice done lying down. A voice leads you through body awareness, breath and rest, often for 10 to 30 minutes. NSDR, short for non-sleep deep rest, is a modern, secular label for similar guided rest practices.

Many people use it as a midday reset or a wind-down before bed. Expect to drift close to sleep, or fall asleep, which is fine at night but less useful if your goal is building focus.

How to Choose Your First Style

Here is the simple process I would use with any beginner.

1. Pick your main goal: calm, focus, sleep, or just building a habit.
2. Choose one style from the table that matches that goal.
3. Practice it for 3 to 5 minutes a day for seven days.
4. Note one thing after each session, like “settled faster” or “fidgety today.”
5. At the end of the week, keep it, or swap to a second style for the next week.

Switching every day keeps you in learning mode and makes it hard to tell what works. One week per style is a fair test. If you want help building this into a calmer daily rhythm, my post on mindfulness to reduce stress for beginners pairs well with any style here.

Common Mistakes When Trying Different Styles

• Judging a style after one session. First sessions are almost always awkward. Give it a week.
• Going too long too soon. Thirty minutes on day one usually ends in quitting. Short and daily wins.
• Chasing a special feeling. Calm comes and goes. The practice is the returning, not the feeling.
• Thinking you need gear. A chair and a timer are enough for every style here.
• Lying down when you need focus. It is great for rest, but many people drift off. Sit up for focus practice.

If any style brings up strong distress, painful memories, or dizziness, stop, open your eyes, and switch to something grounding like walking. You can always come back to it later, or try it with support from a professional.

Your This-Week Plan

Here is a simple 7-day sampler that lets you test a few styles without overloading yourself.

1. Days 1 and 2: Breath awareness, 3 minutes.
2. Day 3: Body scan, 5 minutes.
3. Day 4: Walking meditation, 5 minutes.
4. Day 5: Mantra meditation, 5 minutes.
5. Day 6: A short guided session, 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Day 7: Repeat your favorite of the week, 5 minutes.

Then pick one style and stay with it for the next week. Want the seven short scripts and a simple tracker in one place? Grab the free 7-Day Beginner Meditation Starter.

More in this series: How to meditate for beginners.

Quick Questions

The Bottom Line

The many types of meditation all build the same simple skill: noticing where your attention went and bringing it back. Breath, body scan, mantra, walking or tai chi, each is just a different anchor.

Pick one that fits your goal and your personality, give it a week at 3 to 5 minutes a day, and adjust from there. The style matters less than showing up.

This article is for general education and is not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, balance problems, a history of trauma, or a mental health condition, check with your doctor or therapist before starting a new meditation or movement practice.

Stop and open your eyes if a practice brings up strong distress, dizziness or chest pain, and get medical help right away for chest pain or trouble breathing. Meditation can support your wellbeing, but it is not a substitute for care from a doctor or mental health professional.