Guided meditation works as an imaginary journey that offers relaxation. This technique can be used as a stress management tool to restore your mind, body, and spirit.  This connection can be made by teachers in person or online for free through apps, videos, and podcasts.  All you need to do is close your eyes, relax, and follow the instructions you hear. Guided meditation provides the mind with enough resources to prevent it from wandering off on its own and helps it to stay focused.  

Who Can Practice Guided Meditation In general, guided meditation is most recommended for those who do not practice meditation often and have difficulty maintaining their attention or are easily distracted.  However, given its benefits, it is even more useful for those who suffer from mental disorders such as depression or anxiety, and who may feel uncomfortable trying to meditate alone and without guidance.   Because moments of introspection and self-focus can be more of a burden than a relief, for example when sadness or fear are strongest. 
In these situations, meditation by specialized professionals becomes even more necessary, as long as there is psychological and psychiatric care for those affected.   
 

 How to do guided meditation? 

Check out our step-by-step tips below to prepare for your guided meditation Before starting, set a maximum exercise time and set an alarm. Also, if the exercises are being done privately by the instructor, it's a good idea to leave your phone on airplane mode so that notifications don't get in the way. Choose a quiet time and place where you can repeat the exercise at the same time each day.

 Do some yoga warm-ups and deep breaths before starting a guided meditation. This allows you to disconnect your body and mind from thoughts that may be blocking your focus.  Finally, to begin your guided meditation, sit in a comfortable position with a cushion to lean on.  If you have done breathing exercises before, you will find that breathing is already

easier, even as you begin to follow the meditation instructions. At this point, focus on the stillness between breaths. 

 Keep your eyes closed for better connection. If gossip arises during your meditation, don't get attached to it or judge your thoughts. The key is to just watch them come and go.  When you are ready, you can slow down, focus on your breathing, and follow the directions.  Don't get up too early at the end of the guided meditation. Slowly open your eyes and gradually move your arms and legs.  Finally, observe your body, breath, and mind after the practice before ending your meditation. 

How often should I practice guided meditation? 

To reap the benefits of focused exercises, meditation should be part of your daily routine. A daily routine makes exercise an integral part of your daily life. The ideal time for a guided meditation depends on each person's reality, but choosing a time free of interruptions and distractions is important. It is recommended to practice during the natural transition from night to day and vice versa, either at sunrise and sunset, or before sunrise.

Learn the benefits of meditation

There are various forms of meditation, group or individual. There are those who chant mantras and those who remain still. One meditates with eyes open or closed, in front of a lit candle, with one's eyes fixed on the flame, or just concentrated in a quiet place.

What one tries to achieve is the stillness of the mind, and a very efficient way to do this is to turn to the breath, count it, and breathe in and out smoothly and deeply. The important thing is to create a routine and dedicate yourself half an hour to an hour a day.

In time, you will gain more peace for yourself and those around you.Types of Meditation

Zazen

Sitting down, with your eyes ajar, you are guided to empty your lungs three times, notice your body, breathing, tensions, heartbeat, as well as the external environment. There is no effort to not think. Just observe how thoughts form and break apart.

Vipassana

Maintains that the mind is like a lake of troubled waters. To calm it down and see the light from the bottom to the surface, the technique uses only the breath. The practitioner must be extremely aware of inhaling and exhaling until he or she reaches full consciousness in the present moment.

Active

If you find sitting in silence or reciting a mantra tedious, try active meditation. In it, the student dances, performs free movements, breathes deeply, and even shouts. The idea is to give the body freedom until it approaches a state of trance.

Sahaj Samadhi

During the guided session, you are made to perceive each part of your body, your breathing, and external noises until you reach a state of body relaxation. Then, you are given a mantra (a combination of sounds considered sacred) that is repeated uninterruptedly until you reach a degree of deep relaxation.

Transcendental

To practice it you only need 20 minutes sitting down (on a chair, on the floor, or even on the airplane), with your eyes closed, in silence, and reciting a mantra to mentalize. The technique has no relation to religion, philosophy, or lifestyle. In a one-week course you learn it and can do it by yourself.

Buddhist

Sitting in a comfortable, upright posture, a teacher guides you through the relaxation. Then he will verbally transmit some Buddha's teaching, which will be the object of meditation. The goal is to learn the teaching deeply and completely.

What can meditation do for you?

Meditation is an exercise that you do not do with your body, but with your thoughts. You meditate when you sit very still in a quiet place, without any noise, and think about nothing. Nothing at all. When you meditate, your head and your body become healthier.

Depression: Reduces the chances of new episodes of depression, avoiding relapses.

Gastrointestinal problems: Relieves symptoms of pain, constipation, and diarrhea in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Anxiety: relieves symptoms of anxiety and panic and helps keep stress under control.

Hypertension: lowers blood pressure by unclogging the arteries.

Chronic Pain: Increases self-control.

Hyperactivity: Children become more attentive, less impulsive, and improve hyperactive behavior.