The art of meditation holds transformative power – from calming racing thoughts to unlocking deep inner wisdom. Yet traditional meditation techniques often feel inaccessible to modern minds accustomed to constant stimulation. While sitting in silence works for some, many of us need a more active approach to rewire our brain’s stress response and create lasting change.
The solution isn’t forcing yourself to sit in silence for hours. Instead, discovering the right meditation technique for you can make all the difference between frustration and breakthrough. This guide reveals simple yet powerful meditation methods perfect for beginners – with special focus on techniques that create real, lasting change.
Why learn meditation techniques?
Before diving into specific methods, let’s understand what’s really happening in your brain and body when you meditate
Meditation:
- Calms your nervous system’s stress response
- Releases deep-seated emotional patterns
- Creates new neural pathways for resilience
- Promotes deeper sleep and better rest
- Increases focus, concentration, and mental clarity
- Supports overall emotional and physical wellbeing
- Connects you deeper with yourself, so you can create lasting changes in your life
Research shows that the right meditation technique can create positive changes in your brain and body in minutes. The key is finding an approach that works with your nervous system instead of against it.
8 best meditation techniques for beginners
Here are some of the most effective meditation techniques to get you started – whether you have 2 minutes or 20:
1. Breath awareness meditation
Perfect for: Absolute beginners
Time needed: 2-5 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
This simple, effective meditation technique asks you to simply focus on your natural breathing pattern and pay mindful attention to it. It’s one of the most basic meditation methods and a perfect starting point for beginners.
How to do it:
- Sit comfortably with your back upright
- Close your eyes or maintain a soft gaze
- Notice your natural breath without trying to change it. Pay attention to the sensations you notice as you breathe, and anything else you can observe about your natural breathing patterns.
- When your mind wanders, gently return focus to your breath, getting curious again about what you can notice
- Start with 2 minutes and gradually increase duration
2. Body scan meditation
Perfect for: Physical tension and stress relief
Time needed: 5 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
This calming meditation technique helps you develop body awareness and release physical tension so you can move into a more relaxed state of being.
How to do it:
- Lie down in a comfortable position (or stay seated if that is more comfortable for you)
- Close your eyes
- Moving from toes to head or head to toes (your choice), focus your attention on each part of your body
- Move slowly, scanning your awareness over each small section (ex: toes, then feet, then ankles, then shins, etc.)
- Notice any sensations that are present in each area, without judging them or trying to change them
3. EFT Tapping Meditation
Perfect for: Beginners longing to create real, measurable changes in their lives
Time needed: 2-10+ minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
While traditional meditation asks you to sit still with racing thoughts, EFT Tapping offers something fundamentally different: a scientifically-validated technique that combines elements of ancient Chinese acupressure with modern neuroscience for profound transformation.
This technique involves tapping gently on specific points on your body, a process which has been shown to:
- Send calming signals to your brain’s stress center
- Interrupt old emotional patterns and creates new ones
- Reduce anxiety and stress
- Regulate your nervous system for lasting resilience
- Retrain your brain to respond differently to stress
- Create shifts you can feel immediately in body and mind
Tapping doesn’t just offer temporary relief from stress – it retrains your brain for a different future. It’s one of the most effective, science-backed meditation tools out there.
The data speaks for itself: When it comes to anxiety, 1.6 million sessions in The Tapping Solution App prove a 41% reduction in just 9 minutes!
Learn the basics of this powerful meditation technique here.
Want guided support? The Tapping Solution App offers expert-led sessions that combine the power of meditation with this unique nervous system regulation technique, making transformation easier than ever.
4. Walking meditation
Perfect for: Active people who like to move
Time needed: 10-20 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
This simple meditation method combines physical movement with mindfulness, making it perfect for those who prefer not to sit still. It’s simple and straightforward – as you move, pay attention to the motion of your body, the physical sensations that are present, etc. The goal is to focus your attention on the process of moving and walking as much as possible.
How to do it:
- Choose a quiet path or space
- Walk at a natural, comfortable pace (slower is often easiest!)
- Focus on the sensations of walking – like what it feels like when your feet touch the ground, the way your arms might brush your side as they swing, the air moving across your face, etc.
- When your mind wanders, return focus to the sensations and experience of walking
Note: If traditional seated meditation feels too stationary and challenging, try alternating between walking meditation and Tapping for a complete mind-body reset that engages you both physically and mentally.
5. Guided visualization
Perfect for: Stress relief, relaxation, and even pain relief
Time needed: 5-15 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy-Medium
This beginner meditation technique uses imagery to promote relaxation and peace. Instead of trying to clear your mind, you engage your imagination in specific ways that help create a sense of calm and groundedness.
How to do it:
- Find a comfortable position
- Close your eyes
- Follow along with a guided imagery visualization meditation (such as a script or an audio meditation). This might include imagine yourself in a peaceful place like a garden, or visualization a peaceful scene like the beach or a starry sky.
- Engage all your senses in the visualization, imagining what it would look like, feel like, sound like, smell like, etc.
Note: Many users find combining visualization with Tapping creates even deeper transformation.
6. Mantra meditation
Perfect for: Focusing a busy mind
Time needed: 5-15 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy-Medium
This powerful meditation technique uses a repeated word or phrase to anchor your attention. Having something specific to focus on can make it easier to maintain concentration compared to trying to clear your mind completely.
How to do it:
- Choose a simple word or phrase that feels meaningful to you
- Sit comfortably
- Repeat your mantra silently or softly
- Let the mantra be your focus point to anchor your attention
- Gently return to the mantra whenever you notice your mind has wandered
7. Loving-kindness meditation
Perfect for: Emotional wellbeing and relational stress
Time needed: 10-15 minutes
Difficulty level: Medium
This heart-centered, calming meditation method helps cultivate compassion for yourself and others. It’s particularly powerful for those dealing with difficult relationships or seeking to develop greater self-acceptance.
How to do it:
- Start with sending kind wishes to yourself (such as “may you be safe, may you feel loved, may you be well”)
- Expand to include loved ones in your good wishes
- Expand to include other people (acquaintances, neighbors, people around you whom you may not know well) in your well wishes
- Extend to even difficult people in your life who you have had challenges with
- Finally, include all beings everywhere, sending those same loving and kind message to everyone
8. Mindful observation
Perfect for: Developing present moment awareness
Time needed: 5-10 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy-Medium
This meditation method trains your mind to stay in the present moment by focusing intently on your current surroundings. Mindfulness meditation is excellent for developing concentration and quieting the mind, and can be done almost anywhere.
How to do it:
- Look around you, and begin to take in your current surroundings
- Notice every detail you can about the present moment you are in – what colors, patterns, and textures do you see?
- Use all of your senses to observe – what do you see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste?
- Notice when your mind wanders, and when it does gently return your focus to the experience of the present moment and your current surroundings
Finding the right meditation technique for you
The most effective meditation technique is the one you’ll actually practice. Consider:
- Your schedule and available time
- Physical comfort and limitations
- Personal preferences and goals
- Current stress levels
- Previous meditation experience
While each meditation method offers unique benefits, the most effective approach often combines methods that work with your nervous system rather than against it.
This is why so many people find success starting with Tapping; Tapping quickly and effectively calms both the brain and body, making other meditation practices easier over time.
Tip: Sometimes, combining different meditation techniques (like Tapping and mindfulness) can lead to the best outcomes! Many people find it helpful to do a few rounds of Tapping before they settle in for a seated, traditional meditation technique – or even while they practice other techniques. Feel free to experiment!
Tips for success with these types of meditation techniques
To get the most out of these various meditation techniques for beginners:
- Start Small: Begin with just 2-5 minutes. You want your practice to feel doable! You can always increase as you become more comfortable and build your skills. If traditional meditation feels overwhelming, begin with Tapping to regulate your nervous system first
- Be Consistent: A daily 5-minute practice is better than an occasional hour.
- Stay Comfortable: Find positions that work for your body. Don’t be afraid to adjust your posture or the process to make it work for you!
- Be Patient: Progress takes time – so be sure to celebrate small wins along the way
- Choose Wisely: Pick techniques that resonate most with you. Keep experimenting until you find something that suits you!
- Keep It Simple: Don’t overcomplicate your practice
- Be Gentle: No judgment when your mind wanders or when you have a hard time sitting still – it’s all normal!
The bottom line is this: there’s no “right” way to meditate. The key is finding what works for you and practicing regularly!
Ready to start your meditation journey?
Remember, meditation doesn’t have to mean sitting in silence for hours. Modern neuroscience shows us that basic meditation methods like Tapping can create deeper transformation than traditional approaches alone.
So why not try a method proven to create measurable results in minutes?
Download The Tapping Solution App today to experience expert-guided sessions that combine the best of meditation with the power of nervous system regulation. With over 27 million sessions proving its effectiveness, you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Until next time… Keep Tapping!
Nick Ortner
P.S. Which meditation technique resonates most with you? Share your experience with different meditation styles and techniques in the comments below!
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