There are many ways to meditate, and you don’t need all of them. You only need one that you’ll actually come back to. Think of the six below as a menu. Read them through, notice which one feels like a small yes, and leave the rest on the shelf for another season.

Two minutes is a real practice. A chair you already own is enough.

1. Loving-kindness

In the Buddhist tradition this is called mettā: a warm wish of goodwill, offered without first checking whether anyone has earned it.

Sit comfortably and begin with yourself, because that’s the part most of us skip. Quietly, on the breath: May I be safe. May I have a little ease today. Then picture someone who is easy to love, then someone neutral, like the person at the shop counter. If you’d like, finish with someone difficult. You don’t have to like them. You’re simply practising not being at war for a minute.

If wishing yourself well feels hard today, that’s okay. Try another method and come back later.

2. Self-inquiry

Some traditions, such as Advaita Vedanta, invite a simple question: Who am I? Ask it once, quietly, and watch what arrives. A job title, a role, a mood, a name. Notice that each one comes and goes, and that something in you is aware of them all.

There’s no right answer to find. If the question leaves you feeling unsettled, return to something solid, like your breath or your feet on the floor.

3. Body scan

Lie down or sit. Start at your toes and slowly move your attention upward: ankles, knees, belly, chest, hands, shoulders, jaw, scalp. You’re visiting, not fixing. If you find tension, breathe towards it once and move on. Thirty seconds from feet to head is a lovely practice just before sleep.

4. Mantra

A mantra gives the mind one simple job. It might be a sacred sound such as Om, a line from a prayer you already love, or a plain word like peace. Repeat it gently, aloud or silently, on the breath. When a thought wanders in, simply return to the next repetition.

5. Vipassana

Vipassanā is often translated as seeing things as they really are. Sit, feel the breath and, when a thought, sound or sensation arrives, softly note it, thinking, sound, tight, then return. Noticing isn’t failing. Noticing is the practice. If your legs ache, shift. Comfort matters more than stillness.

6. Kriya

Kriya Yoga is a lineage of breath, attention and devotion, associated with Lahiri Mahasaya and, in the West, Paramahansa Yogananda. It’s traditionally learned through initiation with a teacher in that lineage, so if it calls to you, start with that tradition’s own teachers and materials rather than a blog post.

How to choose

If sitting feels like a struggle, try the body scan or a walking practice. If words help you stay present, try a mantra or loving-kindness. If you already belong to a tradition, practise in its way.

For more simple starting points, 12 mindfulness exercises to start using daily has plenty of short ones.

There’s more in this spirit on the Guides page.