Explore the practices, learn how to begin, and understand what to be careful about. Each keeps the name its tradition gave it.
The cautions here come from the practice catalog. They are not a complete risk assessment.
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Buddhist concentration practice using the breath as an anchor. The mind learns to rest stably on a single object without wandering.
Try the free Plum Village app or Insight Timer. Start with 10 minutes daily, focusing on the sensation of breath at the nostrils.
Deep states of meditative absorption with progressive stages characterized by specific mental factors (joy, bliss, equanimity). Requires sustained practice, usually on retreat.
Repetition of sacred sounds, words, or phrases. The repetition concentrates the mind and, in devotional contexts, invokes specific qualities.
Christian contemplative practice using a sacred word to return attention to openness to God's presence. Conceptually similar to mantra but framed as receptivity.
Mantra-based technique with a personal mantra given by a certified teacher. Heavily researched; institutionally structured with standardized teaching.
Practitioners mentally label each experience as it arises—'rising,' 'falling,' 'hearing,' 'thinking.' Produces rapid insight into impermanence and the constructed nature of experience.
Body scanning—moving attention systematically through the body to observe sensations. Taught in 10-day silent retreats worldwide, always free of charge.
Soto Zen practice of sitting without technique, object, or goal. Not concentrating on anything; not trying to achieve anything. Requires significant foundation or guidance.
Tibetan Buddhist practice of recognizing and resting in the natural state of awareness. Requires transmission from a qualified teacher; without pointing-out instruction, the words remain conceptual.
Tibetan Buddhist practice pointing to the nature of mind, with somewhat more structured approach than dzogchen. Also requires transmission.
Method associated with Ramana Maharshi. Ask 'Who am I?' and trace the sense of 'I' back to its source, rather than answering conceptually.
Paradoxical phrases or questions used to exhaust conceptual mind and precipitate insight. Examples: 'What is your original face?' Requires work with a qualified teacher.
Douglas Harding's experiment in looking. You point outward, then nearer, then back at the place where your own face should be—and say what you actually find there, from where you sit.
Four questions applied to stressful thoughts: Is it true? Can you absolutely know it's true? How do you react? Who would you be without the thought? Plus turnarounds.
Physical yoga involving postures (asana), breath (pranayama), and seals (mudra). What most Westerners call 'yoga.' Ranges from gentle to athletic.
Chinese practice combining movement, breath, and attention to cultivate and balance vital energy (qi). Thousands of forms exist, from medical to martial to spiritual.
Practice aimed at awakening kundalini energy at the base of the spine. Combines postures, breath, mantra, and meditation. Produces powerful experiences; carries more risk.
Esoteric traditions using ritual, visualization, mantra, and subtle body practices. Not primarily about sexuality. Complex systems requiring initiation and guidance.
Move to music in your own way, paying attention to the rhythm and how your body feels. There is no choreography to learn or performance to give.
Hindu path of devotion. Cultivate love for a chosen deity through worship, chanting, and surrender. The emotional relationship transforms the devotee.
Islamic mystical practice of repeating divine names or phrases, often rhythmically, sometimes with movement. Aims to move from remembrance to presence to union.
Tibetan Buddhist compassion practice. On the in-breath, visualize taking in others' suffering. On the out-breath, send relief and happiness. Reverses ego's normal logic.
Tibetan Buddhist practice of devotion to one's teacher, visualized as embodiment of enlightened mind. Potent when the relationship is healthy; dangerous when it isn't.
Classical yogic breathing practices including alternate nostril breathing, breath retention, cooling breaths, and energizing breaths.
Extended accelerated breathing combined with evocative music produces non-ordinary states. Developed as a non-drug alternative to psychedelic therapy.
Specific breathing protocol—cycles of deep breaths followed by holds—combined with cold exposure. Produces rapid physiological changes; primarily activating rather than insight-generating.
Work performed as offering, without attachment to results. Whatever you do becomes the practice when done with right attitude. Transforms ordinary life.
Ethical guidelines as practice, not just rules. The five precepts become objects of contemplation and refinement. Observing where you meet edges reveals patterns.
Service performed without expectation of reward, as spiritual practice. Working in the soup kitchen, cleaning the temple, caring for the sick.