Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, 1931-1990) created dozens of meditation techniques -- many of them active, involving movement, sound, and catharsis. They are different from what most people imagine as meditation.
The Best-Known Techniques
- Dynamic Meditation -- chaotic breathing, catharsis, silence (1 hour, 5 phases)
- Kundalini -- shaking, dancing, silence (1 hour, 4 phases)
- Nadabrahma -- humming, hand movements, silence
- Laughter Meditation -- laughing without reason for several minutes
What Works
Osho's active meditations have one merit: they recognize that the modern person is too agitated to sit still. The active phase (movement, sound, catharsis) releases accumulated tension. Afterward, silence comes more naturally.
For very agitated people or those with a lot of repressed energy, it can be a good entry point.
What to Question
- Osho was controversial -- with good reason. Separating the technique from the personality is necessary
- Catharsis can be therapeutic, but it is not meditation in the traditional sense
- Dependence on external stimuli (music, timed phases) can prevent the development of autonomous practice
The Vedanta Perspective
In the Vedanta tradition, meditation is directed and sustained attention -- dhyanam. It does not involve catharsis, dancing, or screaming. It is silent, internal, and contemplative.
Osho's techniques can be useful as preparation. But they do not replace the contemplative meditation that forms the foundation of genuine spiritual growth.
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