Yahoo Lifestyle 11 Guided Meditation Techniques to Calm and Center Yourself
Meditation comes with a whole slew of benefits, from lowering levels of anxiety to improved heart health. Who wouldn’t want to strengthen the mind and body at the same time? But meditation is also something you have to learn—it's called a "meditation practice" for a reason—and knowing where to begin can be a bit intimidating. That’s where guided meditation comes in: Guided meditation can actually be one of the best tools to begin building a daily habit.
Related: How to Make Meditation a Daily Practice
What Is Guided Meditation?
Guided meditation is a form of meditation that involves following the lead of an expert when practicing techniques such as breathing, visualization and mantra repetitions. There’s no pressure to decide what to do next; you simply show up and tune in.
“Guided meditations are great because often when you really need to meditate, you have very little mental energy to think of the best way to do so,” explains Dr. Robert Duff, Ph.D., a psychologist, author of the Hardcore Self-Help book series and creator of the Hardcore Self Help podcast. “Guided meditations take the burden off of you by guiding you step-by-step through the process. All you need to do is passively follow along.”
"So often, our minds are stuck in the past or worried about the future. Guided mindfulness meditations can help bring us and our attention to the present moment. Since the mind likes to wander, having a calming voice guiding us through can create a sense of focus and ease. For beginners, it can be especially helpful to have this structure and instruction to keep the focus and attention on the exercise (and not on how many minutes are left!)," Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, Ph.D., psychology researcher and author of Stress Wisely: How to Be Well In an Unwell World, says. "We are less likely to get caught up in the mental chatter when we have a gentle voice guiding us through."
"One reason why guided meditations can be so effective is that they engage multiple senses to immerse you in the experience. The calming background music, soothing voice recordings, and peaceful (often nature-themed) visuals all contribute to the desired atmosphere and help to ground us in the present moment," Dr. Hanley-Dafoe adds.
There are guided meditations that accompany all sorts of activities, from mindful eating to relief from current events, and choosing a meditation for a specific situation can help you get the most out of your experience.
Related: 50 Best Meditation Quotes
10 Guided Meditations to Get You Started
1. Guided Meditation to Help You De-Stress and Relax
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"Dr. James Rouse's guided meditations are some of my favorites! His comforting voice and energy really help to create a sense of calm and peace," Dr. Hanley-Dafoe says.
Related: Best Mental Health Podcasts
2. Guided Meditation for Children
If you haven’t yet heard of Adriene Mishler—known to the masses as Yoga with Adriene—this is a good introduction. Mishler developed this guided meditation with teachers and their students in mind, but it is also a great way to get the whole family involved in a bit of quiet time. This meditation uses breathing and light stretching to showcase that breathing can help you gain control over your body, which is a lesson that everyone can benefit from.
3. Guided Meditation for Walking
On its own, walking has been found to reduce stress levels, so adding in a guided meditation can help you further reduce anxiety. If you’ve been struggling to carve out time to practice mindfulness, taking a midday break to go for a walk accompanied by this guided meditation can get you away from your desk and into an elevated mood. This meditation asks you to not only pay attention to how you’re feeling on your walk, but to take extra notice of your surroundings, keeping you in the present moment of heightened awareness and appreciation of what is around you.
4. Guided Meditation With Sound Bath
Sound baths are all the rage these days, and if you’ve never done one, this guided meditation that uses different sound frequencies to calm you is the perfect introduction into the practice. Most often, sound baths use bowls, cymbals and other tools to help you reach a state of relaxation.
The claims hold up; studies have found that sound meditation can help reduce feelings of anxiety. Susy Markoe Schieffelin of The Copper Vessel mostly utilizes the sounds produced by her crystal bowls in this video; however, she adds some voice commands to help guide you into a state of relaxation throughout the 25-minute meditation.
Related: What Is a Sound Bath?
5. Guided Meditation to Help You Fall Asleep Fast
A good night of sleep does more than benefit you mentally; sleep plays a vital role in your physical health, as well. This guided meditation from Live The Life You Love uses voice guidance and ambient music to help you focus on your body and prepare your mind to drift off to sleep. If you find your mind races as soon as your head hits your pillow, playing this 10-minute meditation can help shift gears and promote relaxation.
Related: What Happened When I Meditated Every Day for 30 Days
6. Guided Meditation for Exercise
Next time you work out, using this short one-minute guided meditation can help you mentally prepare to challenge your mind and body. Though short, this meditation is a great way to tune out any external stimuli and take a minute to shift your focus. Headspace has developed this with workouts in mind, though it really could serve as a quick mental shift at any time of the day.
Related: Meditation For Athletes
7. Guided Meditation From Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra has become synonymous with spiritual practices such as meditation and his fans will love this guided meditation. Chopra has put together a three-minute meditation that uses breathing, visualization and mantra repetition to refresh your mind and allow you to focus on tasks of the day. While it may seem odd to call your stressors to mind, as Chopra asks you to do in this video, by making yourself aware of what you’re facing you can actually bring yourself back to a state of rest to help you move forward.
8. Guided Meditation for Mindful Eating
Mindful eating can help you build a healthy relationship with food and is a great time to practice mindfulness (you do it at least three times per day, after all). This guided meditation will help you not only be aware of your surroundings and posture while you eat, but also can help you appreciate the production chain that brought the food to your table.
Related: 50 Mindfulness Quotes To Inspire and Ground You
9. Guided Meditation for Setting Intentions and Developing a Personal Mantra
Mantras have been found to positively benefit mental health, but not everyone knows how to create one that works for them. It can be overwhelming to try to find a word or sentence that can carry enough weight to mentally move you forward. If you don’t know where to start, this guided meditation was created to help you set your intentions and check in with your body to help bring you into a space of positivity. The good news? You can set a new intention for every day—or even as you switch to a new activity during the day — to help make the idea of a mantra seem less intimidating.
Related: 101 'I Am' Affirmations to Remind You of How Amazing You Are
10. Guided Meditation for Breathing Exercises
Breathing is something we do that we rarely think about, but focusing on your breath can do a world of good. Belly breathing is different than the usual in-and-out that we do every few seconds and this guided meditation takes you through the practice. Belly breathing is about the rise and fall of your abdomen versus chest and while it may take some getting used to, it can help you slow your breathing so you can take control of your body and anxieties. If you’re looking for a way to help your children calm down during times of stress or tantrums, Rosita from Sesame Street also teaches belly breathing in this video.
11. Guided Meditation for Gratitude Practice
Scientific studies have shown that gratitude makes us happier. Dr. Hanley-Dafoe says, "For me, gratitude meditations are a beautiful way to slow down and truly appreciate the good all around me, allowing me to cultivate a more grateful heart."
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