Meditation occupies a central and indispensable place, because Shiva is understood as the supreme reality and as pure consciousness itself. The contemplative disciplines are directed toward recognizing that the individual self is not ultimately separate from Shiva, but is Shiva-consciousness appearing in limited form. In this vision, meditation becomes the primary means of dissolving the illusion of duality and of realizing one’s own Self as non-different from the supreme. Non-dual currents within the tradition speak of a direct recognition of this truth, a sudden seeing that one’s own awareness is identical with Shiva. Sustained practice is thus oriented toward this recognition, not as a mere idea, but as a living, experiential certainty.

To make the mind capable of such recognition, meditation is also described as a process of purification and refinement. By calming the restless movements of thought and emotion, it reduces the force of habitual desires and fears, making the mind a clearer reflector of Shiva’s nature. This inner stilling is not an end in itself, but prepares the ground for deeper insight and for the operation of divine grace. Meditation is regarded as the primary way of becoming receptive to that grace and of stabilizing any glimpses of higher consciousness that may arise. In this way, purification, insight, and grace are woven together within the meditative path.

The tradition employs a wide range of specific meditative methods, all ordered toward this single aim of recognition. Mantra meditation, especially the repetition of sacred formulas such as “Om Namah Śivāya,” is used to attune the mind to Shiva’s presence and to concentrate scattered attention. Dhyāna may take the form of contemplating Shiva’s iconographic forms, the symbol of the liṅga, or the formless light of pure awareness, allowing the practitioner to internalize the deity’s qualities. Breath and energy practices, including prāṇāyāma and subtle-body work, are used to regulate life-force and support deeper states of absorption. Certain lineages emphasize awareness-based meditation, resting as the witnessing consciousness and recognizing all phenomena as the play of Shiva.

Within some non-dual Shaiva schools, this process is described as a path of recognition, where meditation reveals the ever-present unity of Śiva and Śakti in one’s own awareness. Techniques may include attending to the gaps between thoughts, noticing the silent witness of all experience, or sensing the subtle vibration of consciousness. Over time, the fruits of meditation are meant to permeate ordinary life, so that every perception and action is seen as an expression of Shiva. The ideal is a stable, natural state in which Shiva-awareness remains unbroken, even amid activity, amounting to liberation while living. In this sense, meditation is not merely a practice performed at set times, but the very mode of living in alignment with the supreme.