Other Meditation Practices You Can Try
Quick Summary
- “Other meditation practices” can mean changing the object of attention, the posture, or the way you relate to thoughts.
- Different practices fit different days: stress, fatigue, grief, restlessness, or numbness may call for different approaches.
- Some options are quiet and still (breath, open awareness); others are active (walking, chanting, mindful movement).
- The point isn’t collecting techniques—it’s learning what attention and reactivity feel like in real time.
- Small shifts matter: a softer gaze, a slower exhale, or a steadier rhythm can change the whole sit.
- Trying other meditation practices can reduce self-judgment when one method feels “not working.”
- Consistency often comes from choosing a practice that matches your actual life, not an ideal one.
Introduction
You sit down to meditate and it turns into a wrestling match: the breath feels boring, thoughts won’t stop, your body is restless, and you start wondering if you’re doing it wrong—or if you just need other meditation practices that fit you better. Gassho is a Zen/Buddhism site focused on practical, grounded meditation writing for everyday life.
The phrase “other meditation practices” can sound like a shopping list, but it’s often a sign of something simpler: your attention needs a different handle today. Some days the mind wants a clear anchor; other days it needs more space. Sometimes the body needs movement before stillness feels honest.
Exploring alternatives doesn’t mean abandoning depth. It can mean staying close to what is actually happening—tension, planning, irritation, sleepiness—and choosing a form that lets you see it without immediately reacting.
A Simple Lens for Choosing Other Meditation Practices
One helpful way to look at other meditation practices is to notice what they change: the object of attention (breath, sound, body sensations), the amount of structure (counting vs. simply noticing), or the level of activity (stillness vs. movement). None of these is a belief. They’re just different ways of meeting the same human mind.
At work, attention often becomes narrow and tense—locked onto outcomes, messages, deadlines. In relationships, attention can become defensive—scanning for tone, searching for what was meant. When you’re tired, attention can become foggy and slippery. Other meditation practices can be understood as different “shapes” of attention that match these different conditions.
Sometimes a single, steady anchor is supportive because it reveals how often the mind leaves. Sometimes a wider field is supportive because it reveals how much you’re trying to control experience. The practice isn’t proving anything; it’s showing you the texture of grasping, resisting, and spacing out in ordinary moments.
Even the same practice can feel different depending on the day. A quiet room can feel like relief or like pressure. A simple breath can feel like home or like a chore. Seeing meditation as a way of relating—rather than a performance—makes it natural to explore other meditation practices without turning it into self-improvement.
How Different Practices Show Up in Real Life
On a day when the mind is loud, a narrow practice can feel like holding a slippery bar of soap. You return to the breath, you lose it, you return again. What becomes obvious isn’t failure—it’s the speed of habit. The moment you notice you’ve drifted is already a moment of clarity, even if it doesn’t feel peaceful.
On a day when the mind is tight, a more open practice can reveal the background pressure you didn’t know you were carrying. Instead of trying to pin attention to one point, you notice the whole scene: jaw tension, the hum of a fridge, the urge to check your phone, the thought “this isn’t working.” The mind’s commentary becomes just another sound in the room.
When fatigue is strong, stillness can turn into dullness. In those moments, other meditation practices that include gentle movement can make the mind more honest. Walking meditation, for example, can bring attention into the soles of the feet and the shifting of weight. The body’s rhythm gives attention something simple to ride, without forcing brightness.
In emotionally charged periods—after an argument, during uncertainty, in the middle of a busy week—practices that emphasize kindness can change the inner tone. You may notice how quickly the mind replays conversations, how it tightens around blame, how it tries to secure certainty. A softer practice doesn’t erase the content; it changes the way the content is held.
Sometimes sound-based practices fit the mind better than silence. A short chant, a repeated phrase, or simply listening to ambient sound can reveal how attention naturally steadies when it has a clear, continuous stream. You might notice the impulse to “get somewhere” relaxes when there’s nothing to solve—only hearing, moment by moment.
In the middle of ordinary tasks, informal practice shows up as tiny interruptions in reactivity. You notice the hand reaching for another tab, the body leaning toward the screen, the thought that insists on urgency. Whether your formal practice is breath, walking, or sound, the lived experience is similar: noticing happens, and the next reaction doesn’t have to be automatic.
Even in quiet, the mind often tries to manufacture a “meditation mood.” Other meditation practices can expose that impulse. You see the subtle bargaining: “If I feel calm, then it counts.” When that’s seen, the moment becomes simpler—just sensations, thoughts, and the space around them, without needing a verdict.
Misunderstandings That Make Exploration Harder
A common misunderstanding is that trying other meditation practices means you’re inconsistent or avoiding depth. Often it’s the opposite: you’re noticing conditions clearly. If the mind is agitated, forcing a single method can become another form of pushing. Changing the form can be a way of staying close to what’s real.
Another misunderstanding is that a practice should feel good to be “right.” Some practices feel plain, even dry, because they reveal how much stimulation the mind expects. Others feel soothing, and then the mind clings to that soothing. Neither reaction is a problem; they’re both information about how grasping and resistance operate.
It’s also easy to assume that a technique will fix a personality trait: restlessness, worry, irritability. But what’s often seen in meditation is more modest and more useful—how quickly a story forms, how the body tightens around it, how attention gets recruited. Other meditation practices don’t remove life; they illuminate how life is being met.
Finally, people sometimes treat exploration like optimization: the “best” method, the “perfect” routine, the “most advanced” approach. That mindset can quietly recreate the same pressure found at work or in relationships. A calmer approach is to notice what the mind is doing today, and how different forms make that doing easier to see.
Where This Touches the Ordinary Day
Other meditation practices matter because life doesn’t present one consistent mood. A commute, a difficult email, a child calling your name, a late-night spiral—each moment has its own texture. When you’ve tasted different forms of practice, you may recognize that attention can be steady in more than one way.
In conversation, you might notice the urge to interrupt and the heat that comes with it. In a quiet room, you might notice the urge to fill silence. In fatigue, you might notice how quickly the mind reaches for easy distraction. These are not special meditation events; they’re the same movements that show up on the cushion, simply wearing different clothes.
Sometimes the most meaningful shift is subtle: less arguing with your own mind, less dramatizing a bad sit, less pride about a good one. The day keeps moving, but the inner grip can soften. Different practices can make that softening easier to recognize, because they reveal the same habits from different angles.
And when practice feels distant, it can return in small ways—hearing a sound fully, feeling the feet on the floor, noticing a thought as a thought. The forms vary, but the thread is continuous: awareness is available in the middle of whatever is happening.
Conclusion
Many forms of meditation point to the same quiet fact: experience is already here, before it is judged or managed. When grasping is seen, it loosens on its own. The rest is ordinary life—sounds, breath, steps, words—asking to be met with clear attention, moment by moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
- FAQ 1: What does “other meditation practices” usually refer to?
- FAQ 2: Are other meditation practices better than breath meditation?
- FAQ 3: What are common examples of other meditation practices I can try?
- FAQ 4: How do I choose among other meditation practices when I feel overwhelmed?
- FAQ 5: Which other meditation practices are helpful when I’m restless?
- FAQ 6: What other meditation practices work well when I’m tired or sleepy?
- FAQ 7: Can other meditation practices help if I don’t like focusing on the breath?
- FAQ 8: Do other meditation practices still “count” if they’re not silent sitting?
- FAQ 9: Are guided meditations considered “other meditation practices”?
- FAQ 10: Is it okay to rotate between other meditation practices day to day?
- FAQ 11: How do I know if I’m switching to other meditation practices just to avoid discomfort?
- FAQ 12: Are mantra and chanting considered other meditation practices?
- FAQ 13: What other meditation practices are good for anxiety?
- FAQ 14: Can other meditation practices support emotional healing?
- FAQ 15: Do I need a teacher to explore other meditation practices safely?
FAQ 1: What does “other meditation practices” usually refer to?
Answer: “Other meditation practices” typically means alternatives to a single familiar method—such as switching from breath focus to body scanning, walking meditation, sound awareness, or a kindness-based practice. The change is often about finding a form that matches your current mental and physical conditions rather than forcing one approach to fit every day.
Takeaway: “Other” often means “another way to relate to the same mind.”
FAQ 2: Are other meditation practices better than breath meditation?
Answer: Not inherently. Breath meditation is one effective option, but other meditation practices can be more suitable when the breath feels irritating, boring, or hard to track (for example, during anxiety, congestion, or fatigue). Different methods highlight different habits of attention and reaction.
Takeaway: “Better” often means “better matched to today.”
FAQ 3: What are common examples of other meditation practices I can try?
Answer: Common examples include body scan meditation, walking meditation, open awareness (noting what arises without a single anchor), sound-based meditation, mantra or phrase repetition, and loving-kindness style practices. These are widely used because they offer different levels of structure and different ways to steady attention.
Takeaway: Variety often comes from changing the anchor, not changing who you are.
FAQ 4: How do I choose among other meditation practices when I feel overwhelmed?
Answer: When overwhelmed, many people find it easier to use a practice with more structure—like a simple phrase, counting breaths, or a guided body scan—because it gives attention a clear track to follow. Other meditation practices that are very open can sometimes feel too spacious when the mind is already flooded.
Takeaway: In overwhelm, structure can feel like a handrail.
FAQ 5: Which other meditation practices are helpful when I’m restless?
Answer: Restlessness often pairs well with practices that include gentle activity or clear sensory detail, such as walking meditation, mindful movement, or a detailed body scan. These other meditation practices can make it easier to stay connected to immediate sensations rather than fighting the urge to move.
Takeaway: Restlessness sometimes needs a practice that can “hold” motion.
FAQ 6: What other meditation practices work well when I’m tired or sleepy?
Answer: When sleepy, practices that are slightly more activating—like walking meditation, standing meditation, or sound awareness—can be easier than a very quiet, still approach. Other meditation practices with a brighter sensory object may reduce drifting without requiring force.
Takeaway: Fatigue often responds to clarity, not pressure.
FAQ 7: Can other meditation practices help if I don’t like focusing on the breath?
Answer: Yes. Many people prefer other meditation practices because breath focus can feel too subtle, too intimate, or simply annoying. Alternatives like sound meditation, body sensations, or a repeated phrase can provide a more comfortable anchor while still training attention and noticing reactivity.
Takeaway: Disliking the breath doesn’t mean meditation isn’t for you.
FAQ 8: Do other meditation practices still “count” if they’re not silent sitting?
Answer: They can. Other meditation practices like walking meditation, chanting, or mindful movement still involve attention, noticing, and returning—just with a different form. For many people, these forms make the same inner patterns easier to observe in real time.
Takeaway: The form changes; the seeing can remain.
FAQ 9: Are guided meditations considered “other meditation practices”?
Answer: Often, yes. A guided meditation can be a different practice (like a body scan or kindness meditation) and also a different level of support (external cues instead of self-directed attention). For some people, guidance reduces the mental load of deciding what to do next.
Takeaway: Guidance is a legitimate form of structure.
FAQ 10: Is it okay to rotate between other meditation practices day to day?
Answer: It can be, especially if the rotation is responsive rather than impulsive. Some people rotate other meditation practices based on what’s most obvious—restlessness, heaviness, emotional charge—while keeping a familiar “home base” practice for continuity.
Takeaway: Flexibility can coexist with steadiness.
FAQ 11: How do I know if I’m switching to other meditation practices just to avoid discomfort?
Answer: Avoidance often has a rushed, bargaining quality: “Anything but this.” Exploration tends to feel simpler: “Let’s see what happens with a different anchor.” Other meditation practices can be used either way, and noticing the inner tone behind the switch is often the clearest clue.
Takeaway: The motivation matters as much as the method.
FAQ 12: Are mantra and chanting considered other meditation practices?
Answer: Yes. Mantra repetition and chanting are other meditation practices that use sound and rhythm as the anchor. They can feel supportive when the mind is busy, because the repetition gives attention a steady stream to return to without needing to manufacture silence.
Takeaway: Sound can be an anchor, not a distraction.
FAQ 13: What other meditation practices are good for anxiety?
Answer: Many people with anxiety prefer other meditation practices that emphasize grounding and safety, such as body scan, contact points (feet on the floor), or sound awareness. Practices with gentle structure can reduce the feeling of being pulled into spiraling thoughts while still allowing thoughts to be noticed.
Takeaway: Grounding practices can make anxiety easier to meet.
FAQ 14: Can other meditation practices support emotional healing?
Answer: They can support a healthier relationship with emotions by making feelings easier to notice without immediately acting them out. Other meditation practices that emphasize kindness or body awareness may soften the reflex to suppress, explain, or escalate what’s being felt.
Takeaway: “Healing” often begins as a change in how emotions are held.
FAQ 15: Do I need a teacher to explore other meditation practices safely?
Answer: Not always, but support can be helpful—especially if meditation intensifies anxiety, dissociation, or distress. Many people explore other meditation practices through reputable books, recordings, or community settings, and seek qualified guidance if practice feels destabilizing rather than clarifying.
Takeaway: Support is part of practice when it’s needed.