Free Guided Meditations

Over the last decade, meditation has become a word that is more frequently used and understood. The great news is you no longer have to be a Buddhist or a yoga instructor! It took us thousands of years to get to this point.

When I first heard how beneficial meditation was for mental health I was determined to make it work for me. So I sat there in the scary stark silence and tried to clear my mind and focus on my breathing. I couldn't do it. I couldn't calm my thoughts and felt extremely uncomfortable trying to breathe deep and focus on it at the same time! At this time of my life I was filled to the top with anxiety and having weekly full-blown panic attacks. This is when I found guided meditation. There was now someone there to help guide me to the place I just couldn't seem to get to without previous practice and considering the mental state of stress I was in.

It's hard to relax when you are suffering from anxiety or panic attacks, the body is on high alert mode all the time, or so it seems. Call in the help of guided meditation (sometimes called self-hypnosis) and I promise if you stick to it, it will work wonders on your entire being.

I am now a strong advocate for meditation, so clearly I didn't give up. If you are thinking of trying meditation, keep in mind that it takes time to find your place and when the benefits start creeping in you will be amazed. The mind can produce a hellacious amount of negative thoughts, emotions and physical sensations, BUT it can also produce the opposite! Peace, balance and control.

Everything has an opposite. The flight or fight response linked to high anxiety and panic attacks also has an opposite.... the mighty "Relaxation Response", otherwise known as your new BFF.

Using guided meditation is the easiest way to get your feet wet in the world of meditation.

So what is guided meditation?

Guided meditation usually has some kind of relaxing background music accompanied by a relaxing voice telling you what to do. Guiding your breath, your thoughts and your emotions. There are NO rules. You can sit or lay wherever you want, wear whatever you want and do it anytime of day.

What are the proven benefits of meditation?

• Increasing your intelligence

• Improving your memory

• Enhancing your creativity

• Drastically improving your ability to think clearly

• Improved problem solving abilities

• Decreasing anxiety

• Decreasing & eliminating depression

• Helping to resolve addictions

• Reducing irritability and moodiness

• Reduced muscular tension

• Strengthened immune system

• Accelerated ability to recover from strenuous exercise

• Decreased high blood pressure

• Lowered cholesterol levels

• Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease

• Reduced strain related pain, such as headaches

• Ability to sleep more deeply and restfully

• Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing

• Reduction of free radicals 

• Reduced levels of stress hormones such as cortisol

• Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation

• Improved sense of positivity

• Increased confidence

• Greater ability to give and receive love

• Elimination of panic attacks

• Greater sense of warmth and openness towards others

• A greater sense of purpose and meaning in their lives

• Feeling more connected to others

• Improved intuition

• A tendency to “let go” and go with the flow of life

How can you get your hands on some guided meditations?

You can download them in iTunes, buy CD's, listen to free pod casts or listen to free streaming meditations online as well as a huge selection of videos on Youtube. My personal favorite is to download meditation apps and try new ones from time to time for free.

Here is a list of links to some FREE Meditations:

UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
Tara Brach Meditations
Youtube-The Honest Guys
Fragrant Heart Meditations
The Chopra Center
Meditation Oasis Pod Casts

*Note ( if there is a particular voice you can't stand or imagery you can't connect with, then move on. They are all different and you will find some meditations you will find beneficial and to your liking.)

Namaste