Types of Meditation: Focused Attention, Open Monitoring, Body Scan, Loving-Kindness and Others

"Meditation" is a family of practices, not one technique. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) describes some types that hold attention on one sensation, such as the breath, a sound, a visual image or a repeated word called a mantra. It describes mindfulness as keeping attention or awareness on the present moment without judging. [1] This page is a map. Each type has its own page, linked below.

Two cautions apply to nearly everything here. Meditation cannot be blinded the way a pill can, so expectation can shape results, and many trials compare practice with a waitlist rather than with another activity. Also, programs often combine several practices and other activities, so a result from a program does not show which single practice did the work. [1]

The types at a glance

Focused attention and open monitoring

Researchers often separate two styles. Focused attention entails voluntarily focusing attention on a chosen object. Open monitoring involves nonreactive monitoring of the content of experience from moment to moment. [2] The NHS beginner guide describes a focused-attention exercise: silently saying "breathe in" and "breathe out," and bringing the mind back when it wanders, which it describes as a natural part of practice. [3]

A 2017 review of 45 randomized trials with active controls found that all meditation subtypes lowered systolic blood pressure, focused attention also lowered cortisol, and open monitoring also lowered heart rate. [4] Those are physiological markers, not proof of better health. A review of the cognitive research found that the styles seem to have different effects on attention and thinking, but how they work is still not known. [5]

Body scan, loving-kindness and self-compassion

A body scan moves attention through parts of the body. A meta-analysis of 14 randomized studies found only a small effect on mindfulness and concluded that a body scan on its own was not enough to improve health outcomes, though study quality was low. [6]

Loving-kindness and compassion practices cultivate kind feelings toward yourself and others. A 2014 meta-analysis of 22 trials found moderate reductions in self-reported depression compared with passive controls, but results against active controls were inconclusive and study quality was low to moderate. [7] A 2017 meta-analysis of 21 trials of compassion-based programs found gains in self-reported compassion and self-compassion, though the studies were mostly small. [8]

Walking, mantra, guided practice and mindful eating

The NHS notes that some people find an over-busy mind easier to cope with while doing gentle yoga or walking. [9] Mantra meditation repeats a word or phrase. [1] For the structured course known as Transcendental Meditation, see its own page.

Guided practice means a teacher's voice or a recording leads the session. A 2021 meta-analysis of 97 online mindfulness trials found moderate effects on depression and stress and small effects on anxiety, with larger stress effects when guidance was offered. [10] Of mindful eating, NCCIH reports a review in which mindfulness-based practices helped with eating behaviors but were less effective for weight loss. [1]

Choosing a type

None of the sources read shows that one type is best for everyone. The NHS beginner guide uses breath focus and notes there is no right or wrong way to meditate. [3] A practical approach is to try one type for a few weeks, notice how it feels, and change if it does not suit you. For first steps see meditation for beginners, and for how this differs from mindfulness in daily life see meditation vs mindfulness.