There are 2 broad categories of meditation of which other meditations fall under, Passive and Active Meditation.

Active meditation is popular for people who have troubles quieting their inner voice because with this form of meditation, the mind is focusing on a physical activity or is being actively stimulated by brainwave therapy.

For example, when you “actively meditate” your mind is focused on a specific activity. Maybe this activity is walking, jogging, mowing the lawn, doing the dishes, cooking or even grocery shopping. Now these are everyday activities, but they can instantly be turned into a meditation practice when completed with full awareness in a present state of mind.

This is key: Perform these activities with full awareness and ensure you are living in the present moment.

All meditation practices promote mindfulness and promote living in the present moment. At first, it’s often difficult to focus all your attention on one thought or one activity but rest assured knowing that this gets easier with time. Everything takes practice, so it’s safe to assume the more you engage in meditation, the more focused and present you become.

There is another form of active meditation and this involves stimulating the brain. Through numerous studies and research, brainwave therapy has been created and is used in various meditation practices to stimulate certain areas of the brain. Certain sounds, such as the alpha sound, automatically induce a state of sleep (while conscious) or brainwave activity. In these states, it’s easy to overcome problems, visualize positive outcomes, reduce stress and the list goes on.

Jose Silva, the creator of the Silva Method, studied brainwave therapy extensively and a free guided meditation that uses the Alpha Sound can be found here http://www.guidetomeditation.org/free-guided-meditation-silva-centering-exercise