Getting Started with Guided Meditation by Marissa Keep

Guided meditation is a practice in which another person guides you with their voice through a meditation that can incorporate calling to one’s mind a descriptive scene that reconnects the listener with feelings like calm, relaxation, positive emotions, and even feelings of power and capability. All you need to try out this practice is a safe space where you can comfortably sit or lay down, a device like a phone, tablet, or computer, and some headphones.

Some people enjoy guided meditation because it can be helpful to rely on listening to another person walking you through a session using their voice. This helps when people struggle with losing their focus easily, get frustrated when their mind wanders, or for those who simply find relaxation easier when they can sit back and let their mind freely explore the imagery described by their guide. There are many types of free guided meditations available on platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and the apps Headspace and Calm. It is important to try out a few different types of guided meditations when first starting out in order to find a good match when it comes to the main theme of the meditation, how long it lasts, and what the guide’s voice is like and whether or not you find it easy to listen to. Some meditations incorporate breathing practices into their sessions. This can be helpful in order to direct our attention to the way we are breathing and can help us ease into a state of relaxation as we consciously start taking deeper, fuller breaths.

Guided meditations can be a good way for people to introduce themselves to a meditative practice. Some people use guided meditation daily to build a meditation routine. Others use guided meditation when they feel overwhelmed, upset, frustrated, angry, or annoyed. This practice can help reconnect the mind with the body and help us to return to a more tolerable state of mind. Guided meditations can also be used prior to upcoming stressful events or experiences or to help us enjoy and fully experience positive emotions that arise in our daily lives.

Here are a few options for guided meditations that are available for free on YouTube. Feel free to use these as a starting point for your own exploration of the wide range of guided meditations available.

- Deep relaxation guided meditation provided by The Honest Guys

- Guided meditation for positive energy, peace, and light provided by Lavendaire

- Guided mindfulness meditation for self-soothing provided by Calm