5 paths to peace

What's it good for? Insight meditation is a form of"mind training," says Salzberg. Bringing direct awareness to drinking a cup of tea, for instance, means that you really feel the warmth of the cup in your hands, and really taste the sweetness or the bitterness in your mouth.

How long does it take? Start with five minutes daily. Gradually add a few minutes to your session each day until you can sit for 20 minutes.

how do I do it?

1. Sit in a comfortable position on a pillow, chair, couch, or floor.

2. Listen to the sounds around you while you relax. Practice letting the sounds come and go without chasing them, holding onto them, or pushing them away.

3. Now shift your awareness to your body, starting with your breath. As you inhale, think "in"; as you exhale, think "out." Let this action be a kind of home base.

4. When your mind drifts, pay attention to where it goes. It might wander to a pain in the shoulder, for instance, or to a mental image of an argument from the night before. Acknowledge this thought or feeling, spend a moment with it, and then bring your awareness gently back to your home base. Rather than rushing past the new sensations you experience, bring your full awareness to them.

5. If you find yourself getting stuck in an emotion or sensation, it may help to put a mental label on it, to identify it as "anger" or "pain." Then bring your awareness back to the breath.

6. The traditional way to end this meditation is to acknowledge the positive energy you've created and to dedicate it to others. Try saying: "May the merit of this practice be dedicated to all beings everywhere." Stand, and continue to practice mindfulness all day.

Tip: Make sure your back is straight and supported as you settle into a comfortable seated position. This helps the breath flow in and out, and also keeps you awake!

listening meditation

Instructor Sally Kempton is a spiritual guide who teaches yoga and meditation at her Carmel, Calif.-based Awakened Heart Meditation (sallykempton.com). She authored The Heart of Meditation under her monastic name Swami Durgananda.

What is it? While many meditation techniques require solitude and silence, this one has you engage with the sounds all around you; it invites you to work with and use the noise instead of fighting it. Listening meditation also encourages you to harmonize with your surroundings, and, by extension, the universe. The intent is to experience sound as vibration, rather than information. "The listening practice is a way of interacting with the environment that allows you to take in the whole energy of the present moment," says Kempton.

What's it good for? Especially adaptable and portable, listening meditation can be practiced in crowded, noisy situations--on a bus, at the office--that would be hard on other styles. (Kempton once led a listening meditation workshop in the middle of a busy Whole Foods store!) People with particularly chattering minds may need to couple this practice with a mantra or breathing meditation. However, many people welcome the chance to focus outward rather than inward and find that listening meditation is one of the easier techniques to undertake. "You'll come away from it feeling refreshed, expanded, and at ease with your environment," declares Kempton.