Guided Meditation Tips

Free Guided Meditations

Guided Meditation is a wonderful tool with many applications from simple relaxation and stress relief, to therapy for insomnia and other ailments.  In today’s guest post  Axel Gjertsen shares with us some excellent tips to enhance your guided meditation experience and get the most out of your session. You can get more great meditation tips, as well download free guided meditations from his wonderful website, Axel G.

If you would like to be a guest author on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga, please email me at anmol@anmolmehta.com.

How To Get The Most Out Of Guided Meditation

By Axel Gjertsen

In this post you’ll learn how to get the most possible out of your guided meditation practice.

I was first introduced to deep relaxation in middle school. Toward the end of the physical education classes, the teacher sometimes asked us to lie down on the floor. Then, she played a guided meditation.

It was a sweeping meditation and the instructions took us on a journey through the body. Each body part was given attention and we were reminded to relax the body and mind. We were also asked to give attention to the sensation of the body pressing against the floor.

I think almost all the students enjoyed the meditation sessions, it was so relaxing to lie down and mediate after the exercise.

Types Of Guided Meditations

Guided meditation is really easy to learn. It’s almost like having a private teacher. All you have to do is follow the voice instructions.

There are many kinds of guided meditations. The sweeping technique where you go from body part to body part is very popular. And it’s both relaxing and healing.

Normally, we avoid unpleasant sensations, but when you give attention to the body you’re bound to experience both pleasant and unpleasant sensations. I encourage you to embrace whatever comes up…

Other forms of guided meditation include chakra meditation, where you meditate on the main energy centers along the spine. There are also visualizations and techniques where you focus on the breath, called breathing meditation.

Guided Meditation Tips

One of the keys to succeeding with guided meditation is to remove as many distractions as possible. Let’s take a look at a handful of approaches.

Whenever you get distracted, you start to think and momentarily forget about the meditation all together. Your own thoughts or background noise may even make you frustrated or angry.

Be forgiving and patient with yourself. Try to accept every moment as it is.

It’s easy to see that distractions are a major obstacle to inner peace.  Moreover, voices are one of the most challenging distractions, since it’s difficult not to listen in on conversations.

So, opt to meditate in a quiet room and close the door. Yet, make sure there is sufficient air circulation wherever you practice.  Dimming the lights creates a calming ambiance.

Also make sure your body is comfortable. There is no need to meditate on the floor. A stool or chair is just as good.

Lying down on your back is an excellent way to relax your body and mind.  When the body is relaxed, the mind is naturally at ease. Regardless of your body posture, make sure you’re as comfortable as possible.

Another way to minimize distractions is by using headphones. That way, external sound is blocked from entering your ears while you meditate.

It’s very important not to try too hard. Just relax your body and mind.  All you have to do is give relaxed attention to the meditation. Trying too hard only causes physical and mental tension.

Keep in mind that meditating with closed eyes reduces distractions and makes it easier to concentrate.

For best results, meditate for about 10-15 minutes each time. The more sessions you do, the deeper the meditation takes you. Take the opportunity to stretch your legs between rounds.

It’s also true that the more you practice, the more you benefit from your meditation practice.

Good luck!

Axel Gjertsen is a former Buddhist monk and lives in Thailand. He runs axel  which is a personal development site with a focus on meditation. Here you can download his free guided meditations.