Guided Meditation And Its Benefits

Meditation is fashionable. In fact, many psychotherapists recommend it because of its many benefits. In this article, you will discover what guided meditation is and its suggested benefits.

There are several types of meditation. For example, kundalini or chakra-based. However, this article focuses on guided meditation. This is the best type for beginners. Let’s find out why.

What is guided meditation?

Guided meditation is performed with the support of a person with experience in the arts. This tells you what to do and guides you through the whole process. The guide also offers you emotional support for any unpleasant feelings you may experience. These can be nervousness, impatience, boredom or lack of concentration.

The journal Mindfulness: General Concepts, Psychotherapy, and Clinical Applications states that mindfulness methods such as meditation involve “an objective observation of the reality of the present without a judgmental attitude and with full openness and acceptance.” It is actually a myth that you have to think empty or not think about anything.

In guided meditation, the instructors are fully aware that you will have thoughts in your mind. However, the goal is to look at them as if you were lying on the grass and they are the clouds in the sky. You see them pass without judging them. They then pass and the next ones arrive. With practice, you will be able to be more relaxed and aware of the present.

The benefits of guided meditation

Now that you are aware that guided meditation is a great way to get started with the art of meditation, let’s look at some of its benefits. These are obtained by both beginners and advanced practitioners.

The article “Mindfulness-based Psychological Interventions and Benefits: State of the Art” mentions some of the benefits:

• It allows for greater emotional regulation. In addition, it prevents stress and impatience. This is because the person leading you assures you that even if you are distracted, nothing will happen. In fact, you will find that you will be more focused some days.
• It improves stress levels. This does not mean that it completely eliminates stress. But you will answer it differently. Your meditation guide will help you in this.
• It prevents you from getting lost in the process. In guided meditation, you are accompanied and understood throughout the exercise. Therefore, you know exactly what to do at any given moment. For example, focus on your breathing, let it flow, concentrate on the sounds around you, etc.

• It reduces the brooding. These types of obsessions are often due to anxiety. In addition, they are exhausting. The fact that meditation works in the present prevents you from holding on to these thoughts and helps you to free yourself from them.

These are just some of the benefits of guided meditation. Still, something we have not mentioned is the possibility of performing different types of meditation. Some of these are based on visualization. Others focus more on breathing and some involve mental spread. In fact, there are many types of meditation, all of which allow you to practice and explore the different ways to carry out this process.

Meditation apps

Nowadays, you are lucky enough to have a really valuable tool at hand: your mobile phone. On it you will find many apps you can download. Some are even free. You should definitely not miss those who offer guided meditation. In fact, you should explore them all so that you can find the one that works best for you. An example is Insight Timer.

If you have never been encouraged to meditate, you can use these apps to get started with guided meditation. However, you should remember that it is better to spend two minutes a day on the exercise than half an hour once a week. To see the benefits meditation can bring, you need to make it a daily habit.

If you want to manage your emotions better and feel calmer, do not hesitate to try guided meditation.