Click here to access the webinar.
In this week’s vlog, I’m talking about the four types of meditation I know. I’ve meditated for 30 minutes each morning for 23 years, and I’m both passionate and curious about it, especially because meditation literally rewires your brain.
The Four Types of Meditation
I struggled with meditating before I began practicing regularly. Every time I tried to quiet my mind it felt uncomfortable, even painful. How did I get past this aversion? I’ll explain—but first let me walk you through the four types:
- Focused meditation. This is the classic form. You focus on your breath, a mantra, counting, or a sense, like hearing. The practice is simply bringing your attention back when your mind wanders.
- Meditating on something. You reflect on a text or idea—a Bible verse, a Rumi poem, or a passage in a reader like On This Bright Day. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous suggests this type of meditation as well, when it says, “consider your plans for the day…”.
- Open meditation. You sit and allow your mind to be exactly as it is. Thoughts can wander, unravel, or drift. You don’t try to control them, you simply sit and be.
- Living meditation. Meditation doesn’t only happen sitting still. Walking, doing the dishes, preparing food—these can all become meditation. A friend’s husband once spent nine months in silence at a Buddhist meditation center. Years later, he told me he doesn’t sit in meditation anymore because he feels like he meditates every moment of every day.
How I Finally Began Meditating
What enabled me to begin a meditation practice was permitting myself to try the third option—just sitting there. I didn’t have to focus on anything in particular. I set a timer, and it was a win if I was still sitting there when the timer went off.
That simple permission changed everything.
Creating a Meditation Practice That Works
Over the past 23 years, I’ve also learned to allow myself to rest if needed. During this time, I’ve been pregnant, raised children, and worked as a professor, founder, and CEO of Bright Line Eating. Life can be exhausting. So, I set up my meditation space with the gear I might need to rest.
When I meditate, I set my timer for 30 minutes. I sit comfortably on a meditation bench. I wrap a blanket around my waist, covering my lap, legs, and feet so I’m not cold, and keep a yoga bolster, another blanket, and a heavy beanbag eye mask nearby.
If I need to rest, the bench folds down and goes underneath my head and becomes a pillow. I slide the bolster under my knees, cover myself with my two blankets, put on the eye mask, and lie back. Sometimes I fall asleep—and I know that’s likely to happen. I allow it. I welcome it. I don’t judge myself. If I sleep, it’s because I needed it. The beautiful part is that I still get a few minutes of meditation first, and then a refreshing power nap if I need it.
The point is that I showed up for 30 minutes. Every day reinforces the habit. I never begrudge myself the rest.
For many of us with addictive minds, meditation can feel impossible at first. So I give myself wide permission for it to be a win. Over time, you learn that it’s okay to simply be with yourself.
And that is a beautiful gift.
Meditation and Rewiring the Brain
This week, we’re focusing on meditation because I’m offering a meditation workshop for the first time in Bright Line Eating’s history. It begins with a free webinar tonight, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. It will be recorded, but you’ll only be able to access the replay if you register.
In it, I’ll talk about four recent studies that are changing how we see meditation and the brain. I’ll explain what the research shows and introduce the workshop I’m teaching this Saturday: BRIGHT & PRESENT: Mindfulness Meditation to Rewire Your Brain for Lasting Food Freedom.
In the workshop, you’ll have two hours of learning that you’ll get so much out of, no matter your meditation experience level. You’ll also receive a package of short guided meditations I’ve recorded to support key moments during your Bright Journey. Like when you have a food craving, or when you want to deepen your identity as someone devoted to your plan.
This initiative also supports the upcoming book Maintain. For every person who registers, we’ll donate three copies to libraries across the U.S. Our goal is to place the book in 10,000 libraries, supporting people who need access to the science of weight loss maintenance the most.
Click the link below to register for the Mindfulness Meditation webinar. I hope to see you there.
