A Step-by-step Guide to Guided Meditation
Meditation has been around for thousands of years, but we are only now starting to understand how this apparently simple mental activity may bring about substantial changes in our bodies and brains. It’s true that the more often you exercise, the more advantages you’ll get and the longer they’ll last, and the same is true of mental and emotional health with guided meditation.
When you are new to meditation, it helps to practise with a guide. The term “guided meditation” refers exactly to this: meditation practised with the assistance of a guide. Guided Meditation ensures you follow all the steps involved in it for the duration it is required in the right frame of mind.
In guided meditation, an experienced meditator guides your practice from beginning to end. It is easy to concentrate and unwind when our mind if free from thoughts. In the guided meditation session, you are helped to bring yourself to this preparatory state first. Often, this type of meditation is done live physically with a guide in a group setting. However, it can also be done alone with the help of recordings by the trainer to practise from your home. If it is not practical for you to practice with a “physical” guide regularly, switch to guided meditation.
How will Guided Meditation help you?
The goal of meditation is to train the mind to be more aware of what is within you and outside. This is done to help you remain calm over time.
During the guided meditation, you follow the guide’s lead to de-stress the body and mind before entering a contemplative state of mind.
Science-backed Benefits of Guided Meditation
Some people wrongly think that meditation is nothing more than sitting quietly. They are now aware that goal of meditation is to actively train the mind to become more conscious. The benefits of guided meditation extend well beyond the realm of mental health and include, among other things, increased job fulfillment, better relationships, and an alert mind.
Recent neuroscientific research has confirmed that regular meditation helps in healthy brain circuitry which in turn, improves mental and physical health. Discovery of the brain’s “neuroplasticity,” or its ability to undergo significant change as a result of experience, has coincided with the discovery of these advantages of meditation. Long-term meditators showed better brain “preservation” than non-meditators, according to an UCLA research.
Guided Meditation- The Sure Remedy
One study from Harvard University found that inducing a state of calm in the mind changes the genetic makeup in less than ten minutes. Even a single session of meditation reduces genes involved in the inflammatory response and boosts genes involved in DNA integrity. Lowered stress and blood pressure and heightened concentration are other short-term advantages. In short, guided meditation helps us to calmly assess a situation and make balanced decisions.
Types of Guided Meditations
You may choose between guided meditation in a group setting or guided meditation on your own.
Person-Specific Guided Meditation
Person-specific guided meditation is a kind of meditation that is done independently and most of the time in a relaxed setting that enables physical relaxation. This type of meditation involves listening to an audio file with relaxing music and subtitles.
Guided Group Meditation
Group meditation is practiced under the direction of a meditation teacher. Since it is conducted in the presence of a guide, this provides better outcomes than individual meditation. The practitioner is able to ask doubts and clarify oneself. It gives an opportunity to connect with others who share similar interest interests.
These are the two main categories of meditation you may practice, either in a group or by yourself:
Sound Meditation
Listening to a guided meditation track with voice instructions are available in the Helpfulness App. This will help change your mindset and focus on the specific actions to achieve your goals. In most cases, calm music serves as the soundtrack. This aids in achieving mental and emotional equilibrium.
Heartfulness Meditation
Heartfulness is a meditation technique that links each of us to the light and love in our hearts. Through a network of thousands of worldwide HeartSpots and a well-designed smartphone application Heartfulness App, you get a library of daily exercises to ignite your capacity for joyous living.
Is Guided Meditation Better?
Beginning meditators really need to start off with some kind of guided practice. To get started with meditation, you will need to either attend a class on how to meditate effectively or listen to guided meditations in order to understand the fundamentals. It is important that you know how to practice your technique and why you are doing it from the start.
Reading appropriate books helps you stay on track and motivated. With strong basics, you’ll be able to form healthy meditation habits.
How Do I Start?
20 minutes of daily “heart time” is a must. As much as possible, meditate at the same spot, at the same time. Following this helps you maintain your routine without difficulty.
Practice the following to reap meditation’s rewards:
- Have a seat and simply focus on feeling relaxed and at peace. Give in to your body’s desires and let your arms fall where they may.
- Stay calm. Focus your thoughts on your heart and take a few deep breaths. Gently close your eyes and imagine a source of light within you.
- Focus on the bright spot in the your heart whenever your mind strays. With practice, you will learn to ignore them.
- After meditation, reflect on your practice for some time. Over time, you’ll feel the connection to your heart rekindling in you.
Heartfulness App
Heartfulness App guides users through simple daily practices designed to help them kindle the dormant joy in their lives.
This wonderful gift is completely free to try out and may be used by anybody, in any location, on any mobile device. The Heartfulness App makes it simple to include meditation into your day. The process is straightforward, flexible, and effective.
Begin with three to five minutes of daily practice to get started with the technique. As you get comfortable, increase the duration gradually to 15 minutes to 30 minutes and then to 45 minutes.
How to start guided meditation with the Heartfulness App
The Heartfulness App gives you three options for doing guided meditation.
Meditate in person with a trainer
There are over Heartfulness centres across the country. Pick a location close to you, and practise meditation guided by an experienced trainer.
Meditate with a trainer using Heartfulness App
The app makes available for you experienced trainers based on your time zone & duration of meditation. Select your time and begin your guided meditation from the comfort of your room.
Join the Masterclass in Meditation
Learn directly from, Daaji, a highly revered master of Heartfulness meditation. He will teach you the four basic tenets of heartfulness covered through three intensive lessons. You have no better trainer than Daaji himself, who has meditated for thousands of hours over 40 years.
Guided Meditation with Heartfulness App
With the guided meditation classes in the Heartfulness app, you will improve your ability to pay attention, find inner peace, get out of a bad mood, feel less anxious, or focus on world peace.
The app helps you set meditation goals that are attainable and conducive to your personal development. The app will make it easy for you to make meditation a regular part of your life.
Meditate at your own pace. You can record and monitor your progress in the journal featured in the app.
Heartfulness Meditation App will guide you personally to a state of calmness, clarity & confidence. Take the invisible hand of help in the app, and walk tall.
Sathish Rajamani is an advertising professional, writer and literary translator. He has written many advertising campaigns, blog content and business features. His interests are learning Carnatic music, visiting ancient temples and practising meditation.
