There Really Is A Meditation For Everyone. Here's How To Find Yours

Pros: Yoga is seen as complementary to meditation. You may already have an established relationship with your yoga teacher, which makes learning meditation from someone you know and trust a lot easier. A yoga class can be a one-stop shop for both physical and spiritual practices. A great time to meditate is right after a yoga class, when you’re feeling loose and open.

Pros: Apps are relatively inexpensive ways to get introduced to meditation, especially compared to more traditional ways of learning. Plus, you can sample a variety of styles quickly. Another big benefit is that some apps allow you to set and track your goals, which makes it easier to be consistent when you can see a chart of your meditation history. Apps also come with built-in timers and guidance, which can give more structure to the practice than doing it on your own.

Pros: There are already a variety of books written by very experienced meditation teachers (including myself) with easy-to-follow meditation instructions for the layperson. Books are usually a low-cost option for learning meditation, and you can reread the instructions as often as you feel the need. With books, you can access instructions from hundreds or even thousands of years ago, and, oftentimes, these books were written by the ancient master him- or herself.

Pros: Drop-in meditation studios are starting to pop up like yoga studios did 20 years ago. Drop-in studios allow you to have repeat access to a live meditation guide, which can make a big difference in speeding up your progress. Prices are usually affordable, and most studios offer monthly or yearly unlimited passes, which means you can sample a variety of styles from different teachers until you find one that you like the best. Also, it’s nice having a dedicated and serene meditation space to sit in when you’re practicing.

Pros: You can learn from very gifted meditation teachers no matter where you are in the world. The cost of the online courses is usually more affordable than learning from those teachers in person. Some courses offer technical support (via email directly with the teacher, or in forums), which will be useful over the long term as experience stimulates new and more refined questions. You can usually start the online course right away from your home, which helps when you’re feeling motivated to begin meditating. And you can repeat the course over and over as a refresher at your convenience.

Pros: Historically, learning how to meditate in person from an expert teacher is the main way that people have gone on to master the practice of meditation. You are most likely to receive instructions that are catered to your personal circumstances, which could result in increased proficiency. You’ll have a better chance to become self-sufficient in a shorter amount of time. As with personal trainers, your meditation teacher can hold you accountable to your commitment to meditate and see through any BS excuses you may come up with. Because it usually costs more to learn this way, you’ll be more apt to show up for your meditation practice each day. Some teachers (particularly Vedic Meditation teachers and TM teachers) provide lifetime support for a onetime cost, which means you can contact them whenever questions arise without paying anything additional for the rest of your life.