The Power Of Guided Meditation

Meditation as a practice is possible for all people and can help to ease stress, increase peacefulness, and can lead to greater overall happiness. Learning how to meditate is easy enough, but the practice is lifelong and will go through phases if we continuously practice throughout our lives. The purpose of meditation is to create a space within the mind where thoughts cease and we can experience relaxation, a sense of oneness, and deep breathing.

During meditation, the thoughts may come back and the mind may wander. Some days and moments, the mind is more active than others. Sometimes sensations will arise in the body or there can be a distraction from events occurring around you and outside of your control. You might have a thought pop in or get lost in a daydream or other ideation.

This is normal for the active mind and our thoughts come and go just like our breath does. Yet, we do have control and choice over both if we choose to make it so. Meditation is a practice of conditioning the mind to recognize thoughts and slow them down or eliminate them and come to a place of peace where we can have a clearer mind to move forward.

When a thought comes in to distract us during meditation, we can take notice of it and pause and then return to the breath and the present moment and not allow us to be taken on a ride.

Mindfulness Guided Meditations

Meditation is a practice that can be done by anyone at any time. This is one of the most beautiful aspects of the practice. Yet sometimes we are feeling distracted and have trouble quieting our minds. When we are highly stressed or overwhelmed it can be difficult to bring ourselves back to a balance and sit silently in inaction.

Sometimes we feel like our minds are moving too fast to even get a handle on, and the outside world is distracting and overwhelming. If and when this happens, we can look to guided meditations to help set us on the path to empowerment with meditation. While meditation is often done sitting silently, there are also other meaningful ways to adapt the practice to our lives.

Guided meditations can be very helpful when first beginning a meditation practice. When we listen to a guided meditation we are led by a professional who can remind us to come back to the breath and to be gentle with ourselves throughout the process.

This is a great practice for people who are self-critical, disempowered, or for anyone who needs accountability. It can be difficult for many of us to sit in silence for 10-20 minutes but listening to a 10-20-minute guided meditation can be relaxing and more directed and engaging. Guided meditations help us to direct our energies in a particular direction or on a chosen area of focus.

Anxiety

Living with anxiety can be challenging, especially if you don’t know good techniques to help alleviate it. Having the right mental tools is essential when dealing with stress. Anxiety affects everyone in different ways and can come on at any time. Guided meditation is a great tool to help ease anxiety. Anxiety is the overwhelming feeling of panic or worry that can happen for many different reasons. It can come as a normal reaction to stress, but it can also come from overthinking or fear of the unknown for people with an anxiety disorder. 

Anxiety can interfere with daily activities like work,  school, and social interactions. For someone without an anxiety disorder, short periods of mild anxiety can cause a boost of energy and help focus. Anxiety disorders can cause daily activities to feel impossible and eventually deteriorate your quality of life. Anxiety is different for everyone, but most people experience similar symptoms. Guided meditation is a start to a way to a calmer and less anxious life. Please, always consult your medical practitioner. 

-Sarah