Meditation techniques for beginners?

As a beginning meditator, the techniques I typically use are: - Counting breaths, restarting at 10 (learned in Japan). - Envisioning, with warm feelings, all of my friends and family around me in a large circle (learned in Florida). - Attempting to feel the minute sensations from each different part of my body (learned in Florida). - Focusing on identifying as many distinct sounds as possible, particularly when in nature (my own). Are there any other techniques recommended for beginning meditators?