According to the Chopra Center, “Navigating the depths of consciousness on your own can be tough, especially for beginners. Guided meditations provide the assistance of a teacher or guide to walk you through the process and help you find a calm and peaceful state – one step at a time.”
Many people have heard of meditation and the benefits of the practice and wonder how to get started meditating. Engaging in meditation is a great way to lower stress levels and relax the mind and body. People who experience chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and other symptoms can benefit from the practice of meditation.
What Is Guided Meditation
Guided meditation is a meditation practice led by an experienced teacher, either in person, via a live broadcast, or by means of pre-recorded audio or video. Though guided meditation can be used by anyone, it is more frequently used by those new to meditation, as the added assistance and support of a teacher can be helpful when first embarking upon the practice.
Guided meditations generally teach participants the basics of meditation techniques as well as offering instruction and insight into how the mind and thoughts work, how to better understand and relate to your thoughts and emotions, how to use meditation techniques in daily life, and how to settle the mind and body for meditation.
In modern times, meditation is a great practice that should be on everyone’s mind. Engaging in meditation each day can retrain the mind at the conscious and subconscious levels and can begin to shift the outlook. Starting a meditation practice is easy, and only requires setting aside a few minutes each day to sit in silence and notice one’s thoughts. Some people have a lot of trouble sitting still and therefore need a more engaging practice of meditation.
Guided meditations are recorded meditations that lead the listener through a series of visualizations to create a new reality. Listening to guided meditations each day can be an easy way to get started with meditation.
How To Start Meditating
When beginning a meditation practice, many people prefer to begin with a short sequence around 5 minutes. Adding a 5-minute meditation once or twice per day can be completely transformative. After five minutes of meditation becomes easy to accomplish, add five minutes to your meditation time.
Many people meditate for 20-30 minutes each day, and some people engaged in spiritual practice traditionally meditate for 2 hours each morning. Yet, meditation is a practice that is accessible for everyone who wants to improve their life experience and lower their stress levels.
Many styles of meditation can be done throughout the day, like mantra, affirmation, and loving-kindness. Yet, when engaged in guided meditation, it is important to give attention to the practice by sitting or lying quietly where there is little distraction and noise.
Now, find a guided meditation that is the proper length for your practice.
A guided meditation may be five minutes long and can range in content from positive affirmations to guided imagery to color visualization therapy. There is much variety in the topics and ideas to choose from.
A simple online search should reveal plenty of options for recorded meditations. Try to choose a guided meditation by a teacher or professional you trust and can connect with. Set the intention to heal and for beneficial outcomes for all.
Many guided meditations are available for online streaming for free or can be downloaded to your device for easier access. It is also possible to have a personalized guided meditation made by a teacher or other professional. It is possible to find guided meditations for self-empowerment, health and wellness, manifestation, and other lifestyle improvement topics.
Many guided meditations invoke elements of nature, animals, plants, colors, and other visualizations to engage the mind and body and create a new vibration of energy within the system.
Why Guided Meditation?
In guided meditation, the teacher leads the listener through a series of visualizations or journeys to engage the mind and body and establish relaxation and the space for insight. Listening to a guided meditation each day helps to reprogram the conscious and subconscious mind.
When the audio and visualization is done day after day, it is possible to create a new reality and a new experience of the world. Meditation is a practice in becoming aware of our ideas about life. So, when we meditate, we are reflecting on our experiences and allowing a different understanding of how we choose to let events affect us.
Committing to listening to guided meditation every day creates a regularity of practice that is dependable. This practice can lower stress levels and can also allow space for long-term change in lifestyle.
