The ancient practice of meditation has been used for centuries to quiet the mind, reduce anxiety, and promote emotional balance. If you’re looking to relieve stress, boost your creativity, or simply find inner peace, a meditation course could be just what you need to transform your life.

In this Best Courses Guide (BCG), I’ve selected the best free and paid Meditation online courses for you from the 450 Meditation courses on our catalog.

Click on the shortcuts for more details:

• Top Picks
• What is Meditation?
• Courses Overview
• Why You Should Trust Us
• How We Made Our Picks and Tested Them

Here are our top picks

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What is Meditation?

Meditation is a way to train your mind to become more focused and peaceful. It involves finding a quiet place to sit comfortably, and then paying attention to your breathing or a specific object. While you meditate, thoughts and sensations may come and go, but you simply observe them without getting caught up in them.

By practicing meditation regularly, you can develop a greater sense of calm and inner peace, as well as improve your ability to concentrate and regulate your emotions. Think of it like going to the gym to exercise your muscles, but instead, you are exercising your mind to make it stronger and healthier.

How is Meditation different from Mindfulness?

Mindfulness and meditation are closely related practices but they are not exactly the same thing. Mindfulness is a practice of being present and engaged in the moment, while meditation is a broader term that encompasses a range of practices aimed at achieving mental and emotional well-being. Mindfulness can be considered a type of meditation, but not all meditation practices necessarily involve mindfulness.

What are the Benefits of Meditation?

Forbes notes down 10 science-backed health benefits of meditation. Those are:

1. Stress reduction
2. Anxiety management
3. Depression management
4. Lowers blood pressure
5. Strengthens immune system health
6. Improves memory
7. Regulates mood
8. Increases self-awareness
9. Helps with addiction management
10. Improves sleep

Adding to that, Nike says meditation results in better athletic performance and sharper mental function. In this guide, we will explore the most popular forms of meditation to help you get started in your journey in developing a healthier body and mind.

Courses Overview

• Combined, these courses have accrued over 346K enrollments
• 2 courses are free or free-to-audit and 9 courses are paid
• The most-represented course provider is Udemy, with 7 courses
• The Meditation subject is followed by over 8.5K learners on Class Central.

Best Expert-led Mindfulness Meditation Course for Beginners (MasterClass)

In this comprehensive mindfulness and meditation course from MasterClass, you’ll learn from Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of the renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. As an emeritus professor and pioneer in bringing mindfulness into mainstream medicine, Jon shares his expertise to help you cultivate a transformative mindfulness practice. Ideal for beginners, you’ll gain valuable insights to start your meditation practice. Jon’s teachings draw from his decades of experience, bestselling books, and the latest science on mindfulness benefits.

What you’ll learn:

• Attitudinal foundations of mindfulness
• Guided meditations like dropping in and falling awake
• Mindfulness for stress reduction and pain management
• Science behind mindfulness benefits
• Mindful yoga and loving-kindness meditation
• Maintaining a lifelong mindfulness practice.

Best Free Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course (Palouse Mindfulness)

Palouse Mindfulness offers a comprehensive online MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) course with a free certificate. It provides access to all materials used in live MBSR courses, including guided meditations, articles, and lectures. The content follows the pioneering program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. This course is ideal for anyone seeking to learn mindfulness practices but unable to attend in-person sessions due to financial or logistical constraints.

What you’ll learn:

• Simple awareness techniques
• How attention relates to the brain
• Working with thoughts and emotions
• Responding vs. reacting to stress
• Managing difficult emotions and physical pain
• Mindful communication skills
• Cultivating mindfulness and compassion.

Also Great Mindfulness Meditation Course (Udemy)

Led by renowned meditation teacher Jack Kornfield, MINDFULNESS MEDITATION provides training in mindfulness meditation for all experience levels. Jack draws from decades of teaching at universities worldwide and years of monastic training under Buddhist masters. Regularly practicing these methods can help cultivate a consistent mindfulness routine.

What you’ll learn:

• Sitting and walking meditation practices
• Working with difficult sensations and pain
• Mindful eating exercises
• Techniques for observing thoughts and emotions
• Cultivating compassion and positive intentions.

Also Great Mindfulness and Vipassana Meditation Course (Udemy)

Complete meditation, mindfulness and mind training course on Udemy covers a comprehensive array of meditation, mindfulness and mind training techniques suitable for both beginners and advanced practitioners. Taught by Michaël Bijker, a Yoga Alliance certified instructor with decades of experience in meditation, yoga, qigong and breathwork, the course offers an immersive exploration of calming the mind and achieving deep relaxation.

You’ll learn powerful mindfulness breathing exercises to cleanse and harmonize the body-mind connection. The course also provides 4 hours of brain enhancing audio files to facilitate meditation. Michaël guides you to transcend suffering by realizing your interconnection with the divine. Practical lessons are included on integrating mindfulness into daily life and understanding how your mindset shapes reality.

What you’ll learn:

• Breathing techniques for calming the mind
• Mindfulness and vipassana meditation practices
• Using sound technology to enhance meditation
• Transcending suffering through inner wisdom
• Mindfulness for manifesting your ideal reality.

Best Holistic QiGong Training: Movement, Breath, Meditation & Healing (Udemy)

Extensive QiGong movement, breathing and meditation course on Udemy teaches powerful qigong techniques to cultivate physical vitality, inner peace, and spiritual well-being. Led by instructor Michaël Bijker, you’ll learn an extensive system of postures, movements, breathing exercises, meditation practices, theory, and healing qigong methods.

The course also explores the philosophical underpinnings of qigong, covering Taoist principles, energy cultivation, and working with the body’s energy centers.

What you’ll learn:

• Foundational qigong postures and movements
• Breathing exercises for energy cultivation
• Stilling the mind through meditation
• Taoist theory on energy and the body’s energy centers
• Six sounds healing qigong for the organs.

Alternatively, you can learn QiGong meditation for free with David Wong in this short course: Chi Gong Meditation for Beginners – Chinese Martial Arts.

Best Paramahansa Yogananda Meditation Course (Udemy)

This free course provides a systematic approach to developing a daily meditation practice based on the ancient teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. Taught by Turiya Moore, an experienced instructor trained in Yogananda’s philosophy, Yogananda Meditation For Deep Daily Practice makes meditation accessible through practical guidance.

Note that while the course has recently received some low ratings due to technical issues, the material itself remains a high-quality resource.

What you’ll learn:

• Practical meditation techniques from the yogic tradition
• Ancient yogic perspective on the purpose of meditation
• Overcoming common obstacles to a regular practice
• Establishing a nourishing daily meditation routine
• Experiencing meditation’s transformative benefits.

Best Course to Become a Certified Meditation Teacher (Udemy)

Meditation Practitioner / Teacher Certification (ACCREDITED) provides professional training to become a certified meditation practitioner and teacher. Led by Graham Nicholls, an expert in psychotherapy, coaching, and mindfulness, you’ll gain in-depth knowledge of meditation from the beginner to advanced levels.

The curriculum covers how to lead both individual and group meditation sessions effectively. You’ll explore the wide-ranging benefits of meditation and learn strategies for applying these benefits to your own life and when working with clients. Practical resources include 10 meditation audio tracks to create your own program as well as downloadable audio lessons for on-the-go learning.

What you’ll Learn:

• Foundations of meditation practice
• Leading guided individual and group meditations
• Harnessing meditation’s benefits personally and professionally
• Creating customized meditation programs
• Accredited certification as a meditation practitioner/teacher.

Best Course for Zen Meditation (Udemy)

ZEN: For Personal Development – Zen Teachings takes a holistic approach to personal growth by drawing upon the ancient wisdom of Zen Buddhism. Designed for those seeking freedom from negative patterns and habits, the course provides powerful tools for reprogramming the mind, improving concentration, and alleviating suffering at its roots.

Instructors Paul Cline and Sandor Kiss guide you through both foundational and advanced Zen principles in an accessible way. You’ll gain profound self-knowledge by exploring the origins of inner pain and limiting beliefs. With this newfound awareness, you’ll discover transformative perspectives for healing and letting go.

What you’ll Learn:

• Foundations of Zen philosophy and practice
• Overcoming limiting beliefs and negative patterns
• Mindfulness for concentration and present moment awareness
• Coping skills to alleviate mental/emotional suffering
• Zen tools for inner peace, clarity and self-mastery.

Best Meditation and Movement for Stress Management (LinkedIn Learning)

De-stress: Meditation and Movement for Stress Management on LinkedIn Learning provides guided meditation, movement and breathing practices specifically designed to reduce stress and promote relaxation. The curriculum covers a diverse array of mind-body techniques drawn from various wisdom traditions.

With just under an hour of content, these bite-sized lessons make stress relief easily accessible anytime.

What you’ll Learn:

• Grounding meditations to quiet the mind
• Qigong movements for vitality
• Breathing techniques for relaxation
• Self-massage for muscle tension release
• Acupressure for restoring balance.

Meditation Essentials: Get Certified to Facilitate Beginner Sessions (Udemy)

Learn Meditation Basics Course w/Certificate to Guide Others provides a solid foundation in meditation basics while also preparing you to guide others. Led by Melissa Crowhurst, an accredited meditation teacher, you’ll gain certification as a Meditation Guide.

The curriculum covers the many benefits of meditation: stress relief, reduced anxiety, better sleep, and increased clarity. You’ll explore different meditation techniques and learn step-by-step methods for established practices.

Guided audio meditations are provided for your own practice and to use when leading sessions. Crowhurst shares her expertise on properly preparing for and guiding group meditations.

What you’ll learn:

• Foundations of meditation practice
• Benefits of meditation for body and mind
• Step-by-step guided meditation techniques
• Preparing and leading group meditations
• Accredited Meditation Guide certification.

Best Audio Course for the Office (LinkedIn Learning)

Meditations to Change Your Brain provides guided meditations specifically designed to promote positive neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to change and grow in beneficial ways. Led by Rick Hanson and Richard Mendius, the curriculum offers powerful mind-training tools tailored for the modern workplace.

Specific practices include meditations for steadying the mind, sharpening attention, antidoting stress, and developing an integrated ”mosaic” awareness. Hanson and Mendius also provide guidance on self-care strategies and internalizing positive experiences for lasting change.

What you’ll learn:

• Neuroscience behind meditation’s brain benefits
• Foundational meditation practices
• Targeted meditations for workplace challenges
• Self-care for lasting positive change
• Unlocking creativity and peak performance.

Why You Should Trust Us

Class Central, a Tripadvisor for online education, has helped 60 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 200,000 online courses and 200,000 reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.

How We Made Our Picks and Tested Them

Trying to find “the best” can be daunting, even for those of us who live and breathe online courses. Here’s how I approached this task.

First, I combed through Class Central’s Catalog and the internet to find a variety of free and paid open courses, some with certificates.

When choosing courses, I considered the following factors:

• Renowned Institutions: I looked for recognized institutions in meditation
• Instructor experience: I sought instructors with extensive experience in meditation and engaging presentation styles
• Popularity: I checked numbers of enrollments and views to find popular courses
• Course content: I examined courses that covered a range of topics and presentation styles, including the basics and more advanced topics. I watched some course videos to sample courses I hadn’t already taken
• Learner reviews: I read learner reviews (when available) to get a sense of the quality of each course, leveraging the Class Central database with its thousands of course ratings and reviews written by our users as well as available course provider reviews.

Then, I defined the scope for these recommendations. A meditation course can cover various topics, so I chose top courses from a range of sub-fields.

Ultimately, I used a combination of data and my own judgment to make these picks. I’m confident these recommendations will be a reliable way to learn about meditation.

Fabio revised the research and the latest version of this article.