Get The Most out of Your Guided Meditation Practice

​Meditating has countless benefits as I mention in a previous blog post “Yoga and Meditation in Supporting Mental Health”. It is helpful to have the right tips and support particularly if you are new to meditation. The most common thing I hear from new clients who have tried meditation is that they cannot do it, as they believe they are doing it wrong because their mind keeps wandering or will not stop thinking. It is completely normal when someone first starts meditating for their mind to wander, it is with time and practice that we can train our mind to be more present and still. In this post I focus specifically on how to support guided meditation practice as guided meditations are a good place to start for people who are beginners or intermediates to meditating. Find below some tips to get the most out of your guided meditation practice:

1. Find the Right Meditation for You. There are numerous meditations out there, you may need to experiment with different apps or different recordings to see what is right for you. You can also find meditations specific to certain concerns you are experiencing such as anxiety or insomnia. I have a set of meditations for those specific concerns, you can check them out here https://www.mindfulhealingjourney.ca/in-your-pocket.html#/
2. Set Aside Time Daily. With any new skill it is important to set aside time daily to build your ability. It is usually helpful to pick the same time each day. Most people have success in choosing morning or evening.
3. Quiet Place. Try as much as you can to have no distractions and a quiet space.
4. How Your Body is in Space. It can be more effective for some to be able to lay down, if this does not feel right find a comfortable place to sit. Closing your eyes is usually most helpful to be able to focus on the guided meditation. However for some closing there eyes can feel too much particularly if someone has a complex trauma history. If you are someone who cannot close there eyes, find a soothing place in the space you are in to focus on.
5. Continue to Increase Your Capacity. If you are a beginner to mediation it is typically best to start with shorter mediations 5 to 10 minutes, for some they may need shorter meditations around 2 to 4 minutes. Then as you get more comfortable you can increase in small increments each week or two weeks to build on your capacity.

If you want guidance or support in building your meditation capacities reach out to me I am Nicole Levy and I would be happy to help. You can book an initial consult directly though  https://oab.owlpractice.ca/mindfulhealingjourney/booking