Choosing a way to sit

The Meditate page offers several styles. They share one move: you choose something to rest your attention on, and you come back to it when you drift. What changes is the thing you come back to.

Breath and sounds

Breath attention uses the feeling of breathing as the anchor. Sound practice uses whatever you can hear, near and far, without naming the source. If the breath feels uncomfortable to watch, sounds are often an easier place to start.

Noting and open awareness

Noting adds a quiet label to whatever takes your attention: hearing, thinking, itching. Open awareness drops the single anchor and lets attention rest on whatever is most noticeable, moment to moment.

Kindness

Loving-kindness, mettā in Pali, is a traditional Buddhist practice of wishing yourself and others well, often with a few repeated phrases. The phrases do not need to feel true. You are practising the wish, not checking for a result.

The body scan

A body scan moves attention slowly from one area to the next, from the feet to the head or the other way round. You notice what is there, including numbness, or nothing in particular.

Walking and silence

Walking meditation is common in Buddhist traditions. In Zen it is called kinhin and is often done between periods of sitting. Here it is a slow walk indoors, with attention on the feet.

The silent timer has no guidance, only bells. It suits days when you already know what you want to do.

How to choose

Pick by what is easy today. If you are restless, walking or sounds may suit you. If you are tired, a short seated practice with your eyes open may be enough. If you have two minutes, open awareness at two minutes is a whole practice.

There is no ladder to climb. Many people return to the same style for years.