Guided Meditation: An Easy Way to Begin Meditating
Maybe you've always been curious about meditation.
You've heard about the benefits. You like the idea of having a few quiet minutes to yourself. You want to feel less distracted, more present, or simply have a way to slow down at the end of a busy day.
But then you actually try to meditate.
You sit down.
You close your eyes.
And suddenly your mind is thinking about everything.
What am I supposed to be doing?
Am I supposed to stop thinking?
How long has it been?
Did I remember to send that email?
Maybe meditation just isn't for me.
If this sounds familiar, guided meditation can be a wonderful place to begin.
Rather than sitting in silence and trying to figure out what to do, you simply listen to another person's voice as they gently guide you through the practice.
You don't have to know what comes next.
You don't have to memorize a technique.
You can simply get comfortable, press play, and listen.
What Is Guided Meditation?
Guided meditation is a meditation practice led by a teacher or narrator through spoken instructions.
During a guided meditation, you might be invited to focus on your breathing, relax your body, notice your thoughts, visualize something peaceful, or bring your attention to a particular feeling or intention.
The voice guides you from one step to the next.
Some guided meditations are very quiet and calming. Others may involve visualization, breath awareness, affirmations, body awareness, or other meditation techniques.
There isn't one particular way a guided meditation has to sound or feel.
What they have in common is that you don't have to lead the practice yourself.
You listen.
And that can make meditation feel much more approachable.
You Don't Have to "Do" Anything
I think one of the biggest obstacles for people who are new to meditation is the feeling that they have to do meditation correctly.
You might imagine that you're supposed to sit perfectly still, control your breathing, clear your mind, and somehow reach a peaceful state.
But meditation isn't about performing.
And it certainly isn't about having a completely empty mind.
With guided meditation, you can let go of much of that pressure.
The voice gives you something to follow.
You can simply listen to the words, notice your breath, relax your body, and allow yourself to be guided through the experience.
In that sense, guided meditation can feel wonderfully passive.
You aren't trying to make anything happen.
You're simply allowing yourself to be present.
What If Your Mind Wanders?
It will.
That's normal.
Even during a guided meditation, your mind may wander off into a completely different thought.
You might start thinking about your grocery list.
You might remember something from yesterday.
You might begin planning your weekend.
You might even forget that you're meditating for a moment.
None of this means you're doing it wrong.
When you notice that you've wandered, simply come back to the voice.
That's all.
Think of the guide's voice as a gentle thread that helps you find your way back whenever your attention drifts.
You don't have to be perfectly focused for the entire meditation.
You simply return whenever you notice you've gone somewhere else.
Guided Meditation Takes the Guesswork Out of Meditation
When you're meditating on your own, you may find yourself wondering what to focus on or how long to stay with a particular practice.
Guided meditation removes that uncertainty.
Someone else is holding the structure of the meditation for you.
They might say:
Take a slow breath.
Notice the feeling of your feet against the floor.
Relax your shoulders.
Bring your attention to the sounds around you.
Return to your breath.
You don't have to remember any of those instructions.
You just listen and follow along.
For a beginner, that can make the difference between feeling overwhelmed by meditation and actually enjoying it.
You Can Simply Listen
One of the things I love about audio meditation is its simplicity.
There is something very comforting about putting on your headphones, closing your eyes, and letting someone else's voice guide you.
You don't need to read anything.
You don't need to watch anything.
You don't need to remember a sequence of steps.
You don't even need to understand meditation perfectly before you begin.
You can simply listen.
And in a culture where we're constantly being asked to produce, accomplish, respond, and make decisions, there can be something especially restorative about having nothing to figure out for a few minutes.
You simply receive.
Guided Meditation Can Be Different Every Day
Another benefit of guided meditation is that you don't have to do the same practice every time.
There are many different meditation techniques, and different practices may feel right on different days.
Maybe you want something calming after a stressful day.
Maybe you want to begin your morning feeling grounded.
Maybe you want to focus on gratitude.
Maybe you want to connect with your breath.
Maybe you want to relax your body.
Or maybe you simply want ten quiet minutes where no one needs anything from you.
Having different guided meditations gives you the freedom to choose what you need in the moment.
Your meditation practice doesn't have to look exactly the same every day.
Meditation Can Be As Simple As Ten Minutes
You don't need to meditate for an hour to have a meaningful practice.
In fact, starting with a short amount of time can make meditation much easier to incorporate into your life.
Ten minutes can fit into almost any day.
You might meditate:
In the morning before the day begins
During a quiet afternoon
Before bed
After exercising
During a break from work
While sitting outside
When you feel like you need to reset
The goal isn't to find a perfect time.
It's simply to find a few minutes when you can pause.
Put on your meditation.
Get comfortable.
Press play.
And let yourself be guided.
You Don't Need a Special Place to Meditate
Another misconception about meditation is that you need a beautiful, perfectly quiet meditation space.
Of course, having a peaceful corner in your home can be lovely, but it's not necessary.
A comfortable chair works.
Your sofa works.
Your bed works.
A spot outside works.
You can create a meditation practice wherever you can safely sit or lie down and listen without interruption.
This is one reason audio meditation can be so convenient.
Your meditation practice can travel with you.
You can listen at home, while traveling, or whenever you have created a quiet moment for yourself.
Just be sure you're somewhere safe where you don't need to be actively alert or operating a vehicle.
Guided Meditation Can Help You Create a Ritual
Meditation doesn't have to become another item on your never-ending to-do list.
Instead, it can become a small ritual.
Maybe you make a cup of tea first.
Maybe you light a candle.
Maybe you sit by a window.
Maybe you put on your headphones and take ten minutes before everyone else wakes up.
Over time, these small cues can become a gentle invitation to slow down.
You begin to recognize that this is your time.
A few minutes to step away from the noise.
A few minutes to breathe.
A few minutes to simply be.
A Gentle Way to Begin
If you've never meditated before, guided meditation allows you to begin without having to know exactly what you're doing.
You don't have to master meditation before you start.
You don't have to sit perfectly still.
You don't have to stop thinking.
And you don't have to get it right.
You simply listen.
The voice guides you.
Your attention wanders.
You come back.
You breathe.
And little by little, you become more comfortable with the practice.
Eventually, you may even find that you don't need the guidance every time. You may feel comfortable sitting quietly on your own.
But there is no rush to get there.
Guided meditation is a practice in itself.
An Easy Place to Start: Stillness
I created Stillness: 21-Day Meditation Program for anyone who wants to explore meditation in a simple, approachable way.
Stillness includes 21 guided audio meditations, each approximately 10 minutes long.
There are 21 different practices to explore, so you can experience a variety of meditation techniques rather than trying to figure out where to begin on your own.
And because they're audio meditations, you can listen whenever and wherever it works for you.
There is nothing complicated to learn.
You don't need previous meditation experience.
You don't need to know what you're supposed to do.
Simply choose a meditation, get comfortable, press play, and listen.
Think of it as giving yourself ten minutes a day to step away from everything else.
Ten minutes to breathe.
Ten minutes to slow down.
Ten minutes to be guided into stillness.
Begin Your Practice
If you've been curious about meditation but haven't known how to begin, Stillness: 21-Day Meditation Program is a simple place to start.
21 guided audio meditations.
Approximately 10 minutes each.
Listen anytime, anywhere.
No previous experience necessary.
You don't have to know how to meditate.
You can simply press play.
[Explore Stillness →]
Give yourself ten minutes to pause, breathe, listen, and be still.