Guided meditation is excellent for beginners. As you probably already know, there are a thousand and one ways to meditate. This practice, which originated in India, aims to enhance your sense of wellbeing, so that a zen attitude reigns in your daily life. Among the many techniques available, the most popular are zazen meditation, chakra meditation and vipassana meditation. Of course, you can choose the approach that best suits your needs.

As it can be difficult to learn to meditate on your own, why not take advantage of outside support?

Guided meditation: what does it involve?

The benefits of meditation need no introduction. As well as being a highly relaxing exercise, it also helps you to sort out your thoughts. As you progress in your practice, you’ll also develop the ability to refocus your attention. All this helps to alleviate stress and anxiety, and thus promotes well-being in everyday life. However, learning to meditate is not easy, especially if this world is still foreign to you. And that’s perfectly understandable. That’s precisely why guided meditation is here.

Indeed, this approach offers you the help you need to get started in meditation. The principle is simple: let someone else (usually an experienced meditator) guide you through the steps you need to take. This invaluable support will enable you to concentrate fully on the exercise, without fear of making mistakes or errors. You simply follow the instructions, listen to the narrator’s voice, and off you go. Being guided makes it much easier to get started, as it relieves you of unnecessary burdens and headaches.

During a guided meditation session, you can call on many external aids, including :

A podcast;
An audio file;
A video;
A mobile application or even;
A studio course.

The latter are an effective solution for getting the most out of meditation… with complete peace of mind. They can also be used as a support tool. A meditation guide to help you create specific mental images. It will also guide you through a series of breathing exercises and mantras – all necessary for the practice of meditation.

Does guided relaxation work?

Guided meditation is very powerful, simply because of the way the human brain works. When we want to demonstrate the effectiveness of this practice, we often refer to learning a new language. Let’s take a concrete example. You want to learn Italian. Every time you try something new, your brain records it and transmits your feelings to your subconscious. If your first lessons were particularly painful, for whatever reason, your subconscious will associate Dante’s language with something unpleasant. As a result, when you try again, you’ll always find it difficult.

Guided meditation, on the other hand, accesses your subconscious right away. It aims to implant a pleasant memory in your brain. As your brain doesn’t distinguish between what actually happened in real life and what is imagined, you’ll have no trouble getting it to create new neural pathways to associate meditation with a new and better experience. So you’ll enjoy practicing meditation for the rest of your adventure. Which can be a very good thing.

What’s more, you don’t have to do much with guided meditation. All you have to do is concentrate on the instructions, which are set out as simply as possible, and you’re done! You don’t have to worry about a thing. This makes it easier for you to achieve full awareness. By the way, you can choose to have this guide accompany you, whatever practice you’ve chosen between the different types of meditation. One more point to bring calm and peace back into your daily life.

So why deprive yourself?

How does a guided meditation session work?

First of all, it’s worth noting that this approach isn’t just about learning the principles of meditation. During a session designed to teach a neophyte how to meditate, the coach’s main objective is to show the novice meditator the correct postures, breathing techniques and perhaps even discuss the history, culture and religions surrounding the practice. So it’s just like when you were at school learning the various theorems (for example). At the end of the course, you have the ability to solve a specific exercise.

With guided meditation, the aim is to make the experience better by facilitating the assimilation of each step. Rather than a “meditation teacher”, therefore, we refer to a “facilitator”. Here, his or her role is to guide participants towards a particular goal. This can be as simple as a relaxation exercise, or as complex as an inner journey through guided imagery. It can also be an opportunity to take your introspective work to another level, introducing thought-provoking questions throughout the session.

THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF GUIDED MEDITATION
If you want to learn to meditate with the support of a guide, the simplest solution is to download a pre-recorded audio file via the Internet or a mobile application. Of course, you can also visit a specialized center for a more “human” experience. It’s up to you. As a general rule, sessions follow a few steps. They may change slightly, or may incorporate other approaches, depending on the type of meditation you wish to practice. But in most cases, they include :

A short introduction to refocus your attention on guided meditation and get you into the swing of things before you start;
An initial preparation, perhaps on the posture to adopt or the environment to favour, so that you’re properly seated;
Progressive relaxation through several cycles of slow, concentrated breathing;
Relatively simple relaxation exercises;
An exploration of your thoughts and feelings to create an imaginative universe or a specific visualization;
A short moment of silence for quiet reflection;
A gentle reintroduction with a phrase like: “Now gently return to my voice”.
During guided meditation, soft meditation music is played to fill the space between the words in the vast majority of cases.

The benefits of meditation

The benefits of these relaxation sessions are numerous. But among the most important is stress reduction. In fact, meditation is one of the best ways to lower your body’s cortisol levels. And so, it also contributes to the fight against many health problems that are linked to the negative impacts of stress, anxiety and even depression. Guided meditation makes it even easier to achieve this state of relaxation.

At least, that’s what a report published by the Johns Hopkins University Department of Medicine in 2014 claimed. The study focused on two practices in particular: mindfulness meditation and Buddhist meditation. Their therapeutic virtues are said to be based on disinterested, non-judgmental self-awareness.

Of course, the benefits of meditation don’t stop there.

ACCESS YOUR INNER POWER
Just by being in a meditative state, your mind is able to unleash all its capacities. And with guided meditation, it becomes still, clear and reflective. As a result, fear and anxiety – the two main causes of stress – are reduced. What’s more, your heart rate slows as your blood pressure regulates. You feel calmer and more confident, in touch with your mental strength. That terrible feeling of being vulnerable or overwhelmed disappears.

Psychologically, this means that knowing how to meditate will enable you to master your emotions. And why? Simply because the mind-body-spirit relationship is now aligned. With regular practice, you’ll find that guided meditation :

Relieves anxiety;
Calms depression;
Removes negative attitudes and
Reduces fatigue and exhaustion.

In addition, the meditation guide puts you in touch with :

Confidence;
Joy; and
Enthusiasm and
Self-esteem.

It will also encourage you to refocus on your emotional side, making you more sociable.

What’s more, this approach, combined with deep relaxation, will help you train your brain to slow down, enjoy the present and accept yourself. These are just some of the many benefits of guided meditation, with a daily practice of just 15 to 20 minutes.

So take back your power and control your life. It’s the most important investment you can make in yourself.

So set aside some time to meditate

When we want to adopt a new practice, whatever it may be, we often tend to put it off until tomorrow. “I don’t have time yet today, I promise, I’ll do it tomorrow.” “I’ve still got so much to do, I’d better do it on a day when I’m not swamped.” We all make excuses like that. Maybe even with guided meditation.

But there’s nothing worse than procrastination to stop you getting started. So don’t waste any more time. If you really want to make this exercise part of your daily routine (and not just an occasional practice to relieve yourself), then make time for it. By the way, you don’t need to find a time slot in your day. You can do it when you wake up or when you go to bed. These are generally the quietest times of the day, so you can make the most of your session.

Of course, you can also choose any other time to practice guided meditation. Between your errands, two meetings, at lunchtime… it’s up to you. The important thing is to keep up your practice so that you can enjoy all the benefits it has to offer. As you progress, you won’t need a guide to get you going.