Guided meditation is an excellent tool for relaxation, connecting with yourself, and exploring your mind. As the name suggests, guided meditations are sessions led by a guide–this is usually a teacher, either in person or by audio/video means.
If you’re new to exploring meditation, guided meditation is an excellent way to start. When you practice guided meditation, it can help you stay focused on what the person is instructing you to do, so your mind is less likely to wander. If you’re new to guided meditation and aren’t sure where to start, consider some of the following tips as you begin your journey.
1. Before diving into a new meditation practice, consider what you’d like to accomplish through it.
Everyone has a different reason for wanting to explore meditation. If you head into your first guided meditation session with some ideas in mind, it’ll help you focus your energies even better as you begin to get comfortable with guided meditation and learn the processes through practice.
Before you embark on this new journey, Headspace suggests taking a moment to jot down some goals you’d like for your first few sessions. These can be super simple! Perhaps you want to achieve some relaxation through your first few sessions.
You can even make your goal as simple as staying focused on the instructor during the class. While small, these goals are excellent for getting started with guided meditation.
2. Don’t get discouraged if you have a hard time focusing or following along with your guide.
Humans are thinkers who constantly toss different ideas around in their minds. If you tend to stress or worry a lot, you probably experience wandering (and even sometimes frantic) thought patterns that can make concentration difficult.
If you have a hard time staying focused on your guided meditation teacher’s instructions, don’t give up! It takes time to learn a new skill, such as relaxing your mind and body through a series of steps. Your first few tries may not go exactly as you planned, and that’s okay. The more you practice, the better your guided meditation experiences will become.
3. Don’t be afraid to test the waters with new apps or teachers.
Guided meditation isn’t a “one size fits all” sort of practice. If you try a new meditation app or sit in on a new meditation class and don’t feel a good connection, it’s fine to try something else!
Everyone has preferences, and if you feel like you’d be able to focus easier with a different instructor, don’t be nervous to try some different ones to find a good fit for your needs. This is another reason why improving your guided meditation experience can take some time–not only are you developing a brand-new skill but finding the right instructor for you can take time as well.
4. Consider your preferences when selecting and testing guided meditation methods.
Meeting your guided meditation preferences can set a more positive tone for your practice. If you discover you prefer guided meditation, you can see if there are any classes or groups that meet in your area. If so, you can attend to practice guided meditation in a supportive group setting.
Others may realize they’d rather practice one-on-one with a live instructor or through a pre-set guided meditation from an app. After some guided meditation sessions, some folks realize they’d prefer to embark on their meditation journeys alone. However, you prefer to practice is fine–as long as you are feeling satisfied after a guided meditation session and getting what you need from your practice, you are doing great.
