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

Passive meditation is one of the two categories of meditation and the techniques that fall within this particular category are very popular. In fact, the majority of popular meditation techniques practiced today can be categorized as passive meditation. Opposite to active meditation, the goal of passive meditation is to take a “back seat” role in the process. For example, when you partake in passive meditating, you sit quietly and calm the mind. Acknowledge your thoughts as they arise, but do not indulge them by analyzing and taking part in the conversation. Act as an observer (a passive role) and go within yourself to let go. Passive meditations typically take place in a seated, still position. You start in a particular position and you remain in that position (the goal is to be completely still!) until the end of your meditating session.

The great news is that there are many benefits of passive meditation. Similar to active meditation, the benefits of passive meditations include reduced stress levels, an overall increase in energy, improved sleep patterns and much, much more. Not surprisingly, the benefits largely come from experiencing inner peace and self realization. Vipassana Meditation, Osho Meditation, Mindfulness Meditation and Transcendental Meditation (as well as many other types!) are a few of examples of passive meditation.

It’s said that when we let go and passively go within our self that our survival mechanisms are deactivated. When we deactivate these mechanisms, our body is able to naturally heal itself and reap the benefits of meditation. So don’t wait another day to start your meditation practice! Start off by dedicating 5-10 minutes to meditating per day. Once you get the hang of that, bump up your meditation time to 15-20 minutes. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you’ll improve and experience all the wonderful benefits of meditating!