Guided Meditation
In it’s essence, meditation is a discipline of the mind. Where your thoughts take you beyond the daily toil to a place of peace and relaxation.
Meditation involves high concentration on a fixed point of reference. However, in today’s world of extreme anxiety and stress most of us find personal meditation is hard to achieve. In these cases, guided mediation is the perfect way to relax the mind, with the help of a meditation partner.
There may be various types of guided meditation. Some require the partner to tell a relaxing yarn to help ease the mind of the other person. Others require one person to guide the partner into a more relaxed state by giving out instructions.
Timing is an important part of relaxation. Many people choose the early morning or the late evening when there is a more peaceful and relaxed atmosphere or maybe later morning when children are at school and all is quiet.
Twice daily meditations are a good way for you to become accustom to the process of meditating, helping it to be truly a part of your day.
Using music will help set a relaxing mood as does the sweet smelling incense.
It’s best to choose a partner from the opposite sex: someone with a soothing, pleasant voice as the whole process involves talking as a way to relax the mind.
Before starting, you and your partner should sit in upright positions facing each other and concentrate on the breathing, since this forms an integral part of all meditation processes.
The objective is to get the other person to focus on a particular element. The best example is to imagine a bright ball of light (usually a symbol of healing), shining on the other person, like a sun.
It is also important that the partner makes the other person feel the element. It is a good idea to imagine the light penetrating the other person’s body, bringing with it a feeling of healing and warmth. Once the person can feel and visualize this image, other elements like color can be added.
The duration of the sitting will rely on the congeniality of the individuals and how cohesive their relationship is. When the guide partner sees that the one meditating has reached a heightened point in their tranquility, the guide will bring them back slowly and gently until they are back in to the here and now.
With guided meditation you can achieve a greater state of relaxation, even beyond that of sleep. With this method, you are awake; your level of awareness lets you remove yourself from the physical realm.
An alternate method would be the use of pre-recorded cds with guided meditations recorded on them. When you play it, go to your sanctuary, get rid of distractions such as telephones, and begin your meditations. It is important for you to be sure and choose loose comfortable clothing and meditation at a time that people won’t interrupt you.
Initiates to meditation can spend a small amount of time to begin with. The length of the cd is only 15 to 25 minutes, plus time for reflection, for maximum effect, at the end of the meditation, This method is very effective in relieving sress and anxiety on a daily basis.
