Our minds are in a permanent state of action, always racing around erratically, constantly begging you to stimulate it, to think something, to do something, despite all our attempts to truly center ourselves, to meditate and to be content with zero activity.

Discover 7 popular types of meditation practices and learn how to cultivate awareness and perspective. From mindfulness to loving-kindness, explore different techniques for observing thoughts and feelings without judgment.

Zazen, a form of seated meditation is at the very heart of Zen practice. To be enlightened by the ten thousand things is to recognize the unity of the self and all things. The Buddha sat in meditation to realize his enlightenment, for 2,500 years this meditation tradition has continued, passed down to us from generation to generation. The essential aspects of zazen are fairly easy to communicate.

Zazen meditation can be used at any time when you feel the need to 'unplug' yourself from the world and focus on self-care and inner harmony, taking you to a place of pure relaxation and tranquility and allowing you to experience a time of absolute calm and peace. It is also extremely beneficial to overall mental health, and can be used to completely relax your mind before you sleep.

Walking meditation is something you can do indoors or outdoors, you can even practice Kinhin during your next nature hike for a big serenity boost, as it will enhance your entire experience as you hike. Zen walking meditation begins with the mudra or hand posture. There is more than one hand posture that is traditionally used, and we're going to start with the mudra that seems most popular.

Zazen is considered the heart of Japanese Zen Buddhist practice. The aim of zazen is just sitting, that is, suspending all judgmental thinking and letting words, ideas, images and thoughts pass by without getting involved in them. This Zen technique is a mindfulness meditation that emphasizes the harmonization of the mind, body and breath.