Guided Meditation: Relieve stress and improve sleep patterns with this holistic practice

We are only halfway into the year 2020, but it seems like it has been going on forever. Most people have always found it difficult to strike a work-life balance, which often tends to take its toll on one’s mental health, and it often goes unnoticed.

The events of this year have even more so been a source of unrest, anxiety, and stress for people across the world. With a growing number of coronavirus cases, going to the therapist’s is not very feasible as the moment. That being said, many therapists and mental health professionals are available via telephonic support or e-consultations at your convenience.

It is important to not take your mental health lightly during these trying times. One of the most popular practices that ensure mental well-being is meditation. This simple practice can, not only help ease your anxiety but through regular practice it can help you sleep better and keep your mind clear and robust.

“Meditation is not difficult in its concept and essence, but it can present challenges for some. One of the most common is in having the discipline required to stick with it and do it every day, no matter what.” – Liberty Forrest

There are various methods of meditation, like walking meditation, spiritual meditation, mindfulness meditation and others. However, considering people nowadays might not have access to meditation teachers, it can seem like a daunting task to start anew.

Guided meditation is the perfect way for beginners to learn and absorb the benefits of meditation. It involves listening as someone guides you through the process of getting into the headspace required for meditation. The guide will ask to sit in a comfortable position or lie down and take you through various relaxing visualisations helping you in clearing you mind. This can be done through music or narratives, depending on your preference.

The concept behind this is; when your mind is deeply relaxed it becomes more receptive to positive suggestions. You can choose how long you want to meditate and choose the guide accordingly. From personal improvement to spiritual development, there is a variety of material available for to aid your guided meditation practice.

Like most forms of meditation, this practice involves letting the mind become calm at its own pace rather than forcing it to concentrate. The trick is letting the mind wander when it does and allowing it to return to the topic at its own pace as well. In guided meditation, it is essential to pick a position and place in which you are comfortable and relatively free of distractions for however long you choose to meditate. If you are listening to guides on applications or online, you can even meditate while walking or doing chores, as long as you allow your mind to slip into a meditative state.

There are various apps that have catalogues filled with guided meditation tracks and even different topics relating to meditation that you can listen to or read at your own convenience. Some of these apps include, Headspace, Calm, and Aura.

“Whatever forms of meditation you practice, the most important point is to apply mindfulness continuously, and make a sustained effort. It is unrealistic to expect results from meditation within a short period of time. What is required is continuous sustained effort.” – Dalai Lama

On the occasion of his 85th birthday, The Dalai Lama XIV released an album of mantras that work as a form of guided meditation. It is titled ‘Inner World’ and includes his teaching all through 11 tracks set to music.

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