Guided Meditation

[Try_Repeat]

Hi Dahlia,

I've been practicing mindfulness meditation - especially body-scan meditation - for 2 years and can share a few insights I've acquired in that time.

1) Mindfulness meditation is not a substitute for a lack of sleep. If you have a sleep deficit, you will likely be catching up on sleep during the meditation. It's imperative to sort out that issue, if it is an issue.

2) During the meditation, all kinds of creative thoughts, ideas, solutions, etc. will pop into your head. It's advisable to follow through on them.

3) Do not allow the perceived success or failure of any single meditation affect you. It's important to continue the practice without too much focus on how it manifests day to day.

4) Always. Be. Meditating. Mindfulness isn't just something you do for 30-40 min. per day. The same basic process should be followed during wakefulness: if an undesirable thought comes into your head, you can shift focus to something else, like a goal or an object of sensation. Remember that the biggest lesson from meditation is that at your core you are not your thoughts, feelings or fears. They may come and go, but you can learn control over whether you identify with them and allow your attention to get "sucked in" to them.

If you have any other questions, please holler.

Good points, that is for sure!

[Try_Repeat]

Tomorrow night when I get home from work I am going to start hitting some of those links and teach myself this meditation. Why am I having such a hard time with just setting apart some quite time? Crap, is there quite time with three kids in the house? That's my biggest stumbling block right now.

well I think you can find at least 30 minutes a day to devote them to practice, that can make you much happier and healthier. Happiness and health are very important things, so 30 minutes will not be a big deal. Right?

It becomes hard to stay in quite state for at least 15 minutes because you are driven by the inner tension, which prevents you from relax. It tells you: "do something, go somewhere, receive new information, use the internet, watch TV". But meditation helps you to remove this tension and finally bring your mind to the relaxed state.

[Try_Repeat]

I am not a big fan of guided meditations. I think mind needs quietness. That's why I stopped using mantras in my meditation practice, they distract me from watching my inner world. The voice in guided meditation can distract people from observing and add some excess information. But I think the less information you get during practice, the better effect it has! The voice is information too.

The words: "Relax, feel you breathing etc." can put you inside relaxed state, but meditation is not only a relaxation technique, it is about awareness and observation! Secondly mind can be drowned in these words, start thinking of them, but the aim of meditating is to get rid of judgments and interpretations towards anything what happens inside you. Words can also distract people from watching their fears and feelings which come from inside during meditation. Watching these fears is essential for those who want to resolve inner problems and get rid of depression or panic.


Guided meditation can be good for beginners, but if you start doing "usual" meditation with observing your breath or even reciting mantra, you will get more benefit from meditation more soon.

PS. Meditation helped me to get rid of depression and panic attacks. And I never used guided meditations =))

[jessed03]

I am not a big fan of guided meditations. I think mind needs quietness. That's why I stopped using mantras in my meditation practice, they distract me from watching my inner world. The voice in guided meditation can distract people from observing and add some excess information. But I think the less information you get during practice, the better effect it has! The voice is information too.

The words: "Relax, feel you breathing etc." can put you inside relaxed state, but meditation is not only a relaxation technique, it is about awareness and observation! Secondly mind can be drowned in these words, start thinking of them, but the aim of meditating is to get rid of judgments and interpretations towards anything what happens inside you. Words can also distract people from watching their fears and feelings which come from inside during meditation. Watching these fears is essential for those who want to resolve inner problems and get rid of depression or panic.


Guided meditation can be good for beginners, but if you start doing "usual" meditation with observing your breath or even reciting mantra, you will get more benefit from meditation more soon.

PS. Meditation helped me to get rid of depression and panic attacks. And I never used guided meditations =))

I can get that. I prefer quiet meditation so much more. I've had pretty bad OCD in the past, especially related to bodily sensations (breathing, swallowing etc) so I've had to rely on mantra and guided meditations much more just to make sure my wandering mind doesn't go and gets itself all tangled up again. I do enjoy the times I can use silence to meditate though.

Guided meditation has always been amazingly relaxing for me. Yoga Nidra, stuff like that. Halves my anxiety levels at times.

The good stuff has come when meditating alone though, with no help. I like to do guided just once a week, as a relaxation exercise.

[JohnC]

Hey guy's,
All this stuff is alien for me right now, i am just learning. I have know idea what mantra is and not even reall sure what guided meditation is for sure. I just watch my first video last night. Not sure is you guys have kids or not but 3 kids from 13, 9, 8, but I have a hard time finding a half hour for myself. By the time they go to bed I go to bed

[Dahila]

I am not a big fan of guided meditations. I think mind needs quietness. That's why I stopped using mantras in my meditation practice, they distract me from watching my inner world. The voice in guided meditation can distract people from observing and add some excess information. But I think the less information you get during practice, the better effect it has! The voice is information too.

The words: "Relax, feel you breathing etc." can put you inside relaxed state, but meditation is not only a relaxation technique, it is about awareness and observation! Secondly mind can be drowned in these words, start thinking of them, but the aim of meditating is to get rid of judgments and interpretations towards anything what happens inside you. Words can also distract people from watching their fears and feelings which come from inside during meditation. Watching these fears is essential for those who want to resolve inner problems and get rid of depression or panic.




Guided meditation can be good for beginners, but if you start doing "usual" meditation with observing your breath or even reciting mantra, you will get more benefit from meditation more soon.

PS. Meditation helped me to get rid of depression and panic attacks. And I never used guided meditations =))

Fantastic post. I do both the quiet one and the guided one. I found both are equally therapeutic. I find mantra is the difficult , always was for me, it get me sidetracked, The one which works, every time and I find the easiest is Following your breath.

John the thing is, it will help you. starting meditation is the road to recovery, however recovery is not the goal of meditation. There is not goal in it...

[petrified]

Hey guy's,
All this stuff is alien for me right now, i am just learning. I have know idea what mantra is and not even reall sure what guided meditation is for sure. I just watch my first video last night. Not sure is you guys have kids or not but 3 kids from 13, 9, 8, but I have a hard time finding a half hour for myself. By the time they go to bed I go to bed

Hi John I'm the same!
I'm definitely going to give it a try though. My ten year old goes to bed at nine and I'm usually exhausted by then I follow him up. I can't imagine what having three is like.

Dahlia this an amazing thread and something I'm definitely giving a go anything to help deal with stress and anxiety. I've just downloaded an app and Luke will be going up to bed a little earlier tonight so I can give it a go.
I will let you no how I get on :-)

Hannah

[Dahila]

Hannah it literally saved my life in more than one occasion. Meditation is the only way to deal with my suicide thoughts. They were always with me, and look my children are grown up, ) try and you are going to love it. The key is not to fall asleep, but it happened to me and the others and it means that you need your sleep. Next time you will finish it. I like sitting meditation, is difficult to go to sleep siting. However Body scan helps me with my sore back (some bulging disks for years)

[petrified]

Oooh sore backs are the the worst. I've downloaded an app called sleep away. Which has a programme on it called sleep away anxiety on. It's guided meditation.
I'm off to bed soon so going to give it a try.
Thanks again Dahlia :-)

[Haumea]

I did mantra for many years, and while mentally refreshing I find it not as effective overall as a guided body scan.

The guided aspect isn't really a problem for me, because you're not supposed to get very wrapped up in your thoughts/feelings/fears anyway but allow them to pass and refocus on breathing or body part. So I don't find that much of an issue. The guided part leaves you enough time to deal with anything that comes up. (I use the Mindfulness for Dummies CD body scan, ~ 32 min. long.)