Silent awareness of the breath sits at the heart of the Thai Forest Tradition’s meditation repertoire. Anāpānasati, or mindfulness of breathing, acts like a trusty compass, guiding attention back to the present moment whenever the mind wanders off into daydreams or distractions. Steady inhalations and exhalations become anchors, steady as a rock, helping to cultivate concentration (samādhi) and calm abiding (samatha).

Alongside breath practice, the “asubha” (impurity) meditation offers a stark counterbalance. Contemplating the body’s unattractive aspects—from its changing shapes to its eventual decay—challenges romanticized self-images and erodes attachments that keep suffering alive. Though this might sound severe, it’s more like a wake-up call, jolting one out of habitual patterns and pointing toward genuine freedom.

Walking meditation (cankama) also plays a starring role. Slow, deliberate steps become a moving mindfulness laboratory, where every footfall is noticed, felt, and released. There’s a timeless quality to this practice—recent retreats from Scandinavia to California still emphasize these forest-born techniques, proving their power transcends culture or climate.

Deeper in the path, attention shifts toward the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: bodies, feelings, mind states, and mental objects. By observing sensations (vedanā), emotions, fleeting thoughts, and the workings of craving and aversion, one gains direct insight (vipassanā) into impermanence, suffering, and non-self. It’s like turning on a flashlight in a dark cave; previously hidden corners of experience come into view.

Kasina meditations—focusing on colored disks or elements—are sometimes taught to strengthen concentration before entering jhānas, those blissful states of profound absorption. Jotting down notes from recent conferences on traditional meditation, many teachers still affirm the balance between samatha and vipassanā as the golden thread running through every forest-dweller’s daily regimen.

Modern smartphones may buzz with meditation apps, but timeless practices—anchoring to breath, exploring the body’s truths, walking with full awareness—remain at the core, whispering the same message: genuine peace grows from simple, steadfast attention.