What Is Guided Meditation?

Meditation is in fashion. Many psychotherapists have begun to recommend it for its many benefits. In this sense, there is a concept that may surprise us when we begin to be interested in this type of practice. So, to begin with, we ask ourselves: what is guided meditation? What does it consist of and what are its advantages?

As we explore this practice, we will find several options, such as chakra-based meditation or kundalini. From the fan, today we will focus on guided meditation, one of the best choices if we have never practiced it. Next, we will understand why it is so recommended in these cases.

The keys to guided meditation

Guided meditation is done with the support of a person familiar with this practice who tells us what to do and accompanies us throughout the process. Likewise, it is in charge of offering emotional support in the event of possible feelings or discomfort that may arise. Be it nervousness, impatience, boredom or lack of concentration.

The objective is “to observe reality in the present moment, without intentions to judge and with full openness and acceptance “, as stated in the article Mindfulness: General concepts, psychotherapy and clinical applications . It is a myth that you have to leave your mind blank or try not to think about anything.

In meditations of this type, the people who guide try to keep those who meditate in mind that the thoughts are going to be in the mind. The objective is to observe them as if we were lying on the grass, watching the clouds in the sky. We see them go by, without judging them, so that later they leave and the next ones come. Thanks to guided meditation, with practice, we will be able to do this by achieving greater relaxation and awareness of the present moment.

The benefits of guided meditation

Once we have been aware that guided meditation is a good way to start this practice, we are going to see some of its benefits. These can not only be obtained by us if we are beginners, but also by those people who have been practicing meditation for a while.

Some of these advantages are included in the article Psychological interventions based on mindfulness and their benefits: current state of affairs .

• Allows greater emotional regulation. In addition, avoid stress and impatience, since the person who is guiding this practice reassures us by telling us that even if we have been distracted a lot, nothing happens. There are days when we will be more focused and others less.

• Improve stress levels. This does not mean that we remove it entirely, but that our response will be different. Having a guide during meditation will help us.
• Keep us from getting lost. Being a guided meditation, we will feel accompanied and understood throughout the process. Thus, we will know what to do at all times (focus on the breath, let it flow, focus on the sounds around us, etc.).
• Reduces rumination. These obsessive thoughts are usually the result of anxiety and produce deep exhaustion. The fact that meditation works the attention in the here and now favors the detachment of these thoughts. It prevents us from clinging to them.

These are just some of the benefits of guided meditation. However, one that we have not mentioned is the possibility of doing different types of meditation. Some will be based on visualization, others will focus more on breathing, others on dispersion… There is a great variety of meditations of this type that will allow us to practice and explore different ways of approaching this practice.

Meditation apps

Fortunately, we have a very valuable tool in our hands: the mobile. In it we have the possibility of downloading different applications, many of them free. Among them could not be missing those that offer guided meditations, therefore, we can explore, test and stay with the one that works best for us. One of them can be Insight Timer.

If you have never dared to meditate, using these applications will help you get started in the practice of guided meditation. Remember that it is better that you dedicate 2 minutes a day to do this practice than half an hour just once a week. In order for you to see the benefits of meditation, it must become a daily habit.

Do you want to better manage your emotions? Feel calmer? Try different types of meditation? If you have answered “yes” to two of these questions, wait no more and immerse yourself in the practice of guided meditation.