As a college student, managing academics, finances, and relationships while attempting to maintain a well-balanced work-life seems inconceivable. An effective way to improve wellness and healthy living is to practice daily meditation. Although meditation practice is linked to many different religious teachings, meditation is less about faith and more about developing awareness and achieving tranquility.

Many people argue that “meditation requires too much time” or that “it is too difficult to think about nothing.” This is not true; generally, the practice ranges from 10 to 15-minute sessions and there are many different styles of meditations. Not all styles are for everyone, and each practice requires different skills and mindsets. The key is discovering a practice that is tailored towards one’s personality and suits best with one’s lifestyle. Below is a list of a few most common meditation practices used around the world.

Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation consists of being completely present in the moment, detaching from all thoughts and achieving calmness. Combining awareness with concentration, one is forced to simply observe and mentally take notes on ideas without judgment. This practice is a great starting point for beginners and can easily be practiced despite a busy lifestyle.

Movement Meditation
Movement meditation is essentially meditation while moving, but its attention is solely focused on presence. The main components involved in this process involves honing into one’s intuition, body, and breath. Although this is applicable to any exercise, it still requires some level of competence. The mind is notorious for its meandering thought-process and apprehension; sticking with the tried and true movements will sync the mind into full relaxation.

Mantra Meditation
In mantra meditation, a repetitive sound is used to desolate the mind. Typically it is a word or sound — a commonly used one is “Om.” Although it does not necessarily matter whether this phrase is spoken out loud or softly, the goal of the mantra is to access deeper levels of consciousness. This is a popular style for those who find it easier to concentrate on a word rather than meditating in silence.

Headspace App
This isn’t technically a meditation practice, but I personally found this application very beneficial to my life. Essentially, Headspace is a free app for both IOS and Android devices that allows users to log in daily 10-minute sessions of guided meditation. Headspace makes this relaxation and mindfulness technique accessible for regular people who yearn for internal peace and wellness.