People often wonder what kind of meditation they should be doing, and how each form effects them differently. My personal, bush-league opinion is that they’re all valuable; the important thing is that you practice meditation. I have recently been doing some mantra meditation, so I thought I’d talk about it here. Firstly, I think it’s important to remember that focusing on an expected outcome from meditation other than developing a meditation habit and practice is counter-productive. It’s much like any exercise practice. Running, or strength training will absolutely achieve health and mental benefits, but the most important aspect is to establish a strong practice and a habit around that practice. Like any exercise, this is a long game. What you want is to find yourself, months from now, realising the positive impact that meditation has had on you.

No expectations, no disappointments.

Time for the good stuff.

Mantra meditation is easy. Can you close your eyes and repeat a phrase in your head, over and over again, for a set amount of time?

Congratulations, you can do mantra meditation.

There are lots of sources on the web for finding a mantra, but I think just pick one and see how it goes. Om. Ah-Nahm. Whatever feels right.

If you’re an iOS user, check out the Oak app. It has a mantra meditation intro course that will present you with a set of mantras, and guide you through your first sessions.

How is it different from mindfulness meditation? I think the practice itself is different in that it is a focus on a phrase rather than a focus on the fluctuating state of your body and experience, but ultimately, I think they achieve similar things: concentration, calmness, awareness, insight through focus on a rhythmic source, in this case, a repeated phrase rather than the cycle of breathing in mindfulness meditation.

Grab a mantra, set a timer, close your eyes, and repeat the mantra over and over in your mind, however it flows, until the timer is done.

Give it a shot. It’s a great way to meditate, a great addition to a meditation repertoire, and a great introduction to meditation as it’s very simple and provides a positive, calm result.

Be chill and get meditating!