Meditation is the simple practice of being in the present moment. Numerous studies have proven how meditation is beneficial for physical and mental wellbeing. From reducing stress to increasing focus and self-awareness, the advantages are manifold.
Today, let’s focus on what is guided meditation and what are the benefits that it offers?
Guided meditation is a teacher-led or instructor-led meditation. It is often offered in audio or video formats and is getting tremendously popular for online meditation. Usually, expert coaches participate in these meditation sessions, helping develop a habit that stays with the practitioner, and allows them to reap the proven benefits.
The narrator explains the dynamics of the mind during meditation. They also explain the various meditation techniques and how to incorporate them into your daily life. For instance, they might cover the following pointers:
- How you can settle your mind during the meditation session
- How to relax your body before you begin
- How the mind can wander and how to bring it back and refocus
- How to relate to your thoughts and understand your emotions
- How to weave the meditation practices into your daily life
Guided meditations may or may not be accompanied by soft, soothing background music. That said, let’s jump to some of the variants of guided meditations:
- Gratitude meditations – In our lives full of stress and negativity, it is essential to take some time and reflect on the positive aspects. Gratitude meditations are a booster to positive emotions and work well to reduce stress levels.
- Visualization meditations – If you love to imagine calming scenarios and situations in real-time, visualization meditations are worth trying. Practiced by sportspeople to prepare for upcoming events is an excellent method to train the mind, especially if you are beginning to meditate.
- Breath awareness meditations – This is another meditation technique, which helps you focus on your breath throughout the session. If you have difficulty concentrating, this is one guided meditation practice you should incorporate into your life.
- Focused attention meditation – The Heartfulness meditation practice is the best example of focused attention meditation. It helps you put your focus on a single object, which is your heart. Available via the Heartfulness App app, it is a technique that is known to improve concentration.
What are the benefits of guided meditation? Or is guided meditation for me?
- Great for beginners – Are you someone who is just starting their meditation journey? Guided meditation is the best way to test the waters. All you need to do is install an app of your choice, plug and play audio or video, and that’s it!
- Different formats – When you are not sure what kind of meditation will appeal to you and want to experiment with various styles of meditation, this is the best bet. You can pick and choose different types of guided meditation practices and see what works for you.
- Addresses a purpose – Do you want to meditate to calm your anxiety? Need a way to relax before making a significant decision? How about sleeping better? There are guided meditations that cater to specific purposes such as these and more.
All in all, guided meditation practices are simple and help you form a routine. Free meditation apps like Heartfulness App offer a range of bite-sized guided meditation sessions with expert coaches leading the way. With just 15-minutes of daily practice, you too can make meditation a habit that will stay with you for a lifetime and help you reap the rewards.
