One of the things that drew me in when I first started the FitMind app was the 30-day foundational course that taught a smorgasbord of different meditation styles. I had no idea there were so many! All the other apps I’d tried before mainly just taught breath-based meditation, which at the time I found difficult- when I focused on my breath, it felt hard to just breathe normally.
I fell in love with natural awareness-style meditation. I really enjoy the leveling of the field in the mind- thoughts are no more “important” than the sound of a bird chirping or the feeling of a breeze on my cheek. The glimpses of non-duality are thrilling.
These days, my formal practice is mostly metta, but I’ve learned to weave a lot more of that natural awareness into my daily life.
My core practice for a few years has been metta meditation (taught in the 30 Days of Bliss course on the FitMind app). It feels great and quickly deepens. This practice is gold because it makes meditation enjoyable, while also leading to advanced states and insights
Thanks for sharing this. It’s interesting how different styles land for people at different times.
I also had a hard time with breath-focused practice early on. Too much focus on the mechanics of breathing. Trying other approaches made the whole thing feel more workable.
Natural awareness took a little time for me, but once I understood the posture of it, it opened things up in a good way. Not dramatic, just a wider sense of what counts as “the practice.”
These days I get the most out of straightforward concentration work. Keeping attention with one anchor gives my mind something solid to return to. On busier days it’s exactly what I need.
Curious to hear how others blend different styles over time.
Great to hear how your practice is evolving! I’ve noticed that many people start with a concentration method, which trains key skills like meta-awareness and has a straightforward set of instructions (i.e., either your attention is on the object of meditation or it’s not). Over time, many enjoy cultivating a more spacious, loving field of awareness–a practice that can permeate all aspects of one’s day. The ‘30 Days of Bliss’ and ‘Combat Training’ courses are best for this on the app.
That makes sense. The clear instructions are probably why concentration clicked for me. It’s easy to know what you’re doing, even on the messy days.
I haven’t spent as much time with the more spacious practices, but I like the idea of something that carries over into regular life. I’ll take a look at those courses you mentioned and see how they land.
