Meditation Guide – How to Meditate, Types of Meditation & Tools for Your Practice

Meditation Guide – How to Meditate, Types of Meditation & Tools for Your Practice

Meditation is one of the most powerful and well-evidenced practices available to us — reducing stress, improving focus, deepening self-awareness, and supporting spiritual connection. Yet for many people, getting started feels daunting, and maintaining a consistent practice can be challenging.

This guide covers everything you need to begin or deepen your meditation practice — from the different types of meditation to the tools that can support and enrich your sessions.

What Is Meditation?

Meditation is the practice of training attention and awareness — of learning to be present with what is, rather than lost in thought about what was or what might be. It is not about emptying the mind (an impossible task) but about changing your relationship with your thoughts — learning to observe them without being swept away by them.

Meditation has been practised for thousands of years across virtually every spiritual tradition in the world — from Buddhist mindfulness and Hindu yoga to Christian contemplative prayer and shamanic journeying. Modern science has confirmed what practitioners have always known: regular meditation produces measurable changes in the brain, the nervous system, and overall wellbeing.

Types of Meditation

Mindfulness Meditation

The most widely practised form in the West. Mindfulness involves bringing gentle, non-judgmental attention to the present moment — typically to the breath, the body, or sensory experience. When the mind wanders (and it will), you simply notice and return. Over time, this practice builds a remarkable capacity for presence and equanimity.

Best for: Beginners, stress reduction, everyday practice, building focus

Guided Meditation

A teacher, recording, or app guides you through a meditation — often involving visualisation, body scanning, or specific themes such as loving-kindness or gratitude. Guided meditation is an excellent starting point for beginners and a valuable tool for experienced practitioners exploring new territory.

Best for: Beginners, specific intentions, emotional healing, sleep

Crystal Meditation

Meditating with crystals adds an energetic dimension to your practice. Crystals amplify intention, anchor focus, and bring their specific healing properties into the meditation space. See our full How to Meditate with Crystals guide.

Best for: Intention setting, chakra work, spiritual connection, deepening practice
Shop Palm Stones & Worry Stones → | Shop Tumbled Stones →

Sound Meditation

Sound meditation uses the vibration of instruments — singing bowls, gongs, tingshas, drums, or chimes — to induce a meditative state. Sound bypasses the thinking mind and works directly on the nervous system, making it one of the most accessible and immediately effective forms of meditation. See our Sound Healing at Home guide.

Best for: Those who struggle with silent meditation, stress relief, deep relaxation
Shop Singing Bowls & Tingshas →

Mantra Meditation

Mantra meditation involves the silent or spoken repetition of a word, phrase, or sound — a mantra — as the focus of attention. The mantra anchors the mind and, in many traditions, carries its own vibrational power. Mala beads are traditionally used to count repetitions — 108 beads for 108 repetitions of the mantra.

Best for: Those who find breath-focused meditation difficult, devotional practice, building concentration
Shop Mala Beads →

Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta)

A Buddhist practice of cultivating compassion — beginning with yourself, then extending warmth and goodwill outward to loved ones, neutral people, difficult people, and ultimately all beings. One of the most transformative practices available for emotional healing and relationship.

Best for: Emotional healing, self-compassion, relationship difficulties, grief
Shop Rose Quartz →

Chakra Meditation

Chakra meditation focuses attention on each of the body's energy centres in turn, using visualisation, breath, crystals, or sound to balance and activate each chakra. See our Chakra System Explained guide and our Crystal Meditation guide for crystal placement by chakra.

Best for: Energy work, healing, spiritual development
Shop Crystals →

Shamanic Journeying

Shamanic journeying is a form of active, intentional meditation that uses rhythmic drumming to enter an altered state of consciousness and access guidance from the spirit world. It is distinct from passive meditation — the journeyer moves with intention through non-ordinary reality. See our Shamanic Journeying Guide.

Best for: Spiritual guidance, healing, connecting with power animals and helping spirits
Shop Shamanic Drums →

Walking Meditation

Meditation does not require stillness. Walking meditation brings mindful attention to the act of walking — the sensation of feet on the ground, the rhythm of movement, the sights and sounds of the environment. Particularly powerful when practised in nature.

Best for: Those who struggle to sit still, connecting with nature, grounding

How to Start a Meditation Practice

Start Small

Five minutes every day is more valuable than an hour once a week. Begin with just five minutes and build gradually. Consistency matters far more than duration.

Choose a Time

Morning meditation — before the demands of the day begin — is the most sustainable for most people. Evening meditation supports the transition into rest. Choose a time you can protect and stick to it.

Create Your Space

A dedicated meditation space — even just a cushion in a corner — signals to your mind that it is time to settle. Light a candle or incense to mark the beginning of your practice. See our Creating a Sacred Space guide.

Use Tools to Support Your Practice

Tools are not essential, but they can make a significant difference — especially in the early stages when the mind is still learning to settle.

Meditation Tools

Crystals

Hold a crystal during meditation to anchor your focus and bring its specific energy into your practice. Palm stones and worry stones are ideal — their smooth, rounded shape is comforting to hold.
Shop Palm Stones & Worry Stones → | Shop Tumbled Stones → | Shop Amethyst → | Shop Clear Quartz → | Shop Selenite →

Singing Bowls

Strike or rim a singing bowl at the beginning and end of your meditation to mark the transition into and out of practice. The sound instantly settles the mind and creates a clear boundary around your session.
Shop Singing Bowls & Tingshas → | Singing Bowl Size Guide →

Mala Beads

Use mala beads to count breaths or mantra repetitions — the physical act of moving through the beads gives the restless mind something to do and helps maintain focus. Traditional malas have 108 beads.
Shop Mala Beads & Crystal Jewellery →

Incense

Scent is one of the most immediate ways to shift the mind into a meditative state. Certain scents — frankincense, sandalwood, nag champa, lavender — have been used in meditation and ceremony for thousands of years. Light incense before you begin and allow the scent to become a cue for your practice.
Shop Incense → | Shop Nag Champa → | Shop Resin Incense → | Incense Guide →

Candles

A candle flame is a natural focus for meditation — trataka (candle gazing) is a traditional yogic practice that builds concentration and calms the mind. Light a candle to open your practice and extinguish it to close.
Shop Candles & Tealights → | Candles Guide →

Sacred Sprays

Mist a sacred spray or aura mist around yourself before meditation to cleanse your energy field and create an immediate shift in atmosphere. Alaskan Sacred Sprays and Bush Flower Remedy sprays are particularly popular for meditation preparation.
Shop Alaskan Sacred Sprays → | Shop Bush Flower Remedy Sprays →

Shamanic Drums

For those drawn to shamanic practice, the drum is the primary meditation tool — its steady beat inducing a theta brainwave state ideal for journeying and deep inner work.
Shop Natural Skin Drums → | Shop Synthetic Drums → | Shamanic Journeying Guide →

Common Challenges & How to Meet Them

  • "My mind won't stop" — this is normal. The goal is not to stop thoughts but to notice them and return to your focus. Every return is a repetition of the practice.
  • "I fall asleep" — try meditating sitting up rather than lying down, or at a different time of day. A singing bowl or incense can help maintain alertness.
  • "I don't have time" — five minutes is enough. Even one conscious breath before a difficult meeting is a form of meditation.
  • "I don't know if I'm doing it right" — if you are sitting and attempting to pay attention, you are doing it right. There is no perfect meditation.
  • "I keep forgetting" — link your practice to an existing habit (morning tea, before bed) and use a physical cue — a crystal on your pillow, a candle on your desk — as a reminder.

Shop Meditation Tools

Related Guides

Related Blog Posts

← Back to All Guides