What reduces stress, calms the mind, and cultivates inner peace? I´m sure many of us would answer: meditation. I´m also quite sure that even if we would like to try the practice of meditation, we are afraid of not living up to our own expectations. Thirty minutes of sitting in the lotus position, while keeping the mind completely blank, can feel intimidating. But don´t worry, in this post I will present an easier way to cultivate peace of mind, that all of us can benefit from: guided meditation.
Traditional Meditation
There are various forms of meditation, the early ones deriving from religious practices among Hinduists, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, etc. Meditation within a religious framework took and still takes different forms, such as reciting mantras, repeating holy words, bible reading, and so forth. Also in traditions such as Yoga, meditation plays an important role. Regardless of the style of meditation, usually its practice involves to control the mind, and to achieve inner silence. It can also involve concentrating on a certain object or phrase, or trying to reach an emotional state such as compassion, or just being mindful in everyday activities. Traditionally meditation has often been practiced in a seated position, with the back straight, in silence.
Guided Meditation And Its Benefits
Personally I have to confess that, a few years ago, after having tried many different forms of meditation, I felt that I would not be able to “meditate the right way”, meaning; in lotus position, in complete silence. According to Eastern traditional medicines I have a Wind constitution, meaning that I am highly active, restless, talkative, creative, always on the move…you get the picture! So for me sitting long periods of time without any stimulus feels nearly impossible.
But then I tried a guided meditation that my Buddhist friend sent me, and it made a huge impact on me! It was a really good guided meditation in my humble opinion, with a clear purpose, soothing voice, and great mental guidance throughout the audio (not one of these commercial youtube meditations anyone could make).
I believe that a well made guided meditation forces you to be in the present moment and really calms your mind. The voice that guides you keeps you on track, not letting you loose yourself in your thoughts, or think on your posture. Many guided meditations simply encourage you to find a comfortable position at the beginning, be it sitting cross legged, or lying down, so you feel perfectly content with yourself even if you lie down on your bed (as I often do!). Usually these meditations also include soothing background sounds or calming music that helps you to wind down. They also often ask you to imagine yourself in an environment that has a calming effect on you, or visualize certain objects or emotions. Some guided meditations are designed to guide you at all moments, while others leave longer silences, so you will need to try out a few ones and choose the type that suits you best.
Myself I started creating guided meditations parallel to developing my own vibrational treatment VibraHealing, as I find them to be very useful in all situations. If you are interested in trying out one of our VibraHealing guided meditations, we are offering a FREE DOWNLOAD for those who subscribe to our eNewsletter, just CLICK HERE.
As said, I would really recommend you to try a guided meditation, whichever you feel that suits your needs, and you will see that it feels easier to start meditating this way.
Wishing you a meaningful day ahead,
Cesar Tejedor