What’s the next step?

Yes, there are different types of meditation other than breath meditation, but this claim that breath meditation is just a beginner's exercise, that it's super boring, that you've got to move on to bigger and better things, is just wrong. I rarely directly counter people's claims online, but you are propounding a completely distorted view of breath meditation, and meditation in general.

I've been doing breath meditation for over 2 years now, over an hour a day, and I'm still making new discoveries, and still learning more about the way my mind works, still motivated to sit every single day. Yes, I do other meditations, such as "Just Sitting," some visualizations, some emptiness meditations, but every day at least some of my time is spent with breath meditation.

That said, is breath meditation right for everyone? No, some people are better suited for other forms of contemplation - So I'm not saying breath meditation is the only way, or that experimentation is bad. On the contrary experimentation and exploration is essential.

Still, breath meditation can be a lifelong practice, a bottomless well of immense benefits in well-being and insight.

/u/pvxvdise - One of the most helpful guides to breath meditation I've found is With Each and Every Breath by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. He's a Buddhist monk who gives away all his books for free. There is a lot in that book regarding Buddhism, but you don't need to be a card carrying Buddhist to get a lot of benefit from the methods therein - I'm non-religious myself.

There's also The Mind Illuminated, which is a meditation practice guide, with a series of 10 stages of practice which I found very helpful when I was starting my practice.

/r/streamentry is another great subreddit for folks who are interested in deepening their meditation practice - The title is Buddhist, but most of the people there are oriented toward secular/pragmatic spirituality. You'll find lots of great resources there for free, no need to pay for any courses if you don't feel ready for that (not that there's anything wrong with taking a paid course).

If you're interested in retreat, I've heard good things about the Goenka centers, though I've never been myself. They run 10 day retreats - They're nominally free, though donations are encouraged. Some folks have said it can be a bit culty, but most people seem to have a positive experience as far as I can tell.

Anyway, that's my spiel. Have a great day :)

/r/Meditation Thread Parent