Guided Meditation: Definition, Examples, & Tips

​Before reading on, if you’re a therapist, coach, or wellness entrepreneur, be sure to grab our free Wellness Business Growth eBook to get expert tips and free resources that will help you grow your business exponentially.​​​​​​​​​

Before we narrow down the specifics of guided meditation, let’s talk about the umbrella term, “Mindfulness Meditation.” Mindfulness is the practice of becoming aware of your thoughts, senses, and feelings in the present moment. Meditation is the art of achieving mental clarity, calmness, and stability. Together, mindfulness meditation allows us to mentally train our brains to become aware of ourselves in order to promote relaxation. While several types of mindfulness meditation exist, such as breathing-focused exercises, visualizations, body scans, and sensory exercises, the type of practice this article will focus on is guided meditation (Eberth & Sedlmeier, 2012).

Guided Meditation Is Supported Meditation
Meditation may often be a solo practice, but guided meditation gives us the leeway to be assisted (or guided) by someone else. While this form of meditation may be available in person, such as in therapy or yoga classes, guided meditations are more commonly found in the form of audio tapes and videos. Guided meditation is most often led by experienced practitioners who may use scripts, visualization techniques, imagery, or verbal guidance to engage the listener. These types of meditations support our ability to feel our emotions, be honest with ourselves, focus on the present moment, instill calmness, reduce negative emotions, and gain concentration and perspective (Hanh, 2009). As you continue reading, you will encounter various types of guided meditations with several different benefits that target issues such as sleeplessness, anxiety, and negative thoughts.

Here is a brief step-by-step guide to help you get situated before beginning your guided meditation routine. 

• Step 1: Find time. I know this sounds simple, but as we try to balance the many facets of our lives, it can be difficult to set aside time to practice guided meditation. Whether it’s a quick break at work, spending a few less minutes in front of the TV or scrolling through social media, or maybe even during a nice bath, taking just a few minutes out of your day is essential to developing a meditative routine.

• Step 2: Locate a quiet place. This simple task can sometimes be difficult, especially if our work or home lives are surrounded by several coworkers or family members. Try finding a place where you have your own peaceful space for a few minutes before beginning your guided meditation. 

• Step 3: Identify the video (or podcast) you would like to use. Several examples of guided meditations can be found below, but I would also gently encourage you to look through the thousands (if not millions) of videos online to find a few that interest you the most. 

• Step 4: Sit in a comfortable position. Find a position where your body feels at ease so that your mind can settle into relaxation.

• Step 5: Press play and follow along. Once you’ve set up your space, now your job is to play the guided meditation and follow your guide’s instructions. If this is your very first time listening to a guided meditation, don’t worry if you find your mind wandering or feel like you’re having a hard time focusing. Do your best and make a habit of practicing your meditation, and I have no doubt you will get better at this practice as time goes on.​

The best way to understand meditation is by practicing it. Below you will find a plethora of videos that you can search through to find the one(s) that you like best. Oftentimes, these videos are trial-and-error experiments. One that may work for you may not work for a loved one, and vice versa. I would gently recommend you to try a few and save the ones that you vibe with most.
​
10-Minute Guided Meditations
Don’t have a lot of time on your hands? Studies show that even just 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation can improve concentration, boost self-awareness, and ease stress (Barnes et al., 2004). Check out these quick 10-minute guided meditations that will help put you at ease in no time.

Psychological research tells us that self-affirmations can boost our self-confidence and self-esteem, allow us to focus on our goals, provide us the ability to change negative thoughts into positive ones, and elevate our mood and life outlook (Correll, Spencer, & Zanna, 2004). 

What better way to practice meditation and tell ourselves positive affirmations other than by combining the two practices together? Whether you prefer to tell yourself affirmations first thing in the morning, right before you go to sleep at night, or whenever you want to use them when you experience a stressor, here are some affirmation-based guided meditations to try.

Positive psychologists have found evidence that gratitude plays an important role in our well-being and a daily gratitude practice can be beneficial for several reasons. Gratitude may especially be helpful for experiencing happier and more positive emotions, dealing with life’s challenges, being more intentional with and appreciating our personal relationships, and improving illness (Emmons & Shelton, 2002). The extra good news is that cultivating gratitude can be combined with the benefits of meditation. Check out the videos below for some gratitude-based meditations.

When you wake up in the morning, what are some things that are a part of your morning routine? Do you brush your teeth, do some skincare, or take a shower? Maybe you check your phone, watch the news, or make some breakfast. Perhaps you even have a daily journaling practice or do some reading. However long or short (or rushed) your morning may be, meditation in the morning can set you up for success in the day. 

Morning meditation may help you instill calmness in yourself, improve concentration for all the tasks you need to get done, and lower anxiety levels throughout the day (Webb & Rosenbaum, 2019). Check out these meditation videos for ways to kickstart your mornings.

You’ve finished your nighttime routine but somehow you find yourself ruminating about your day and struggling to fall asleep. Does this sound like you? Me, too. One potential solution for remedying sleep difficulties is meditating before bed. Meditation not only promotes calmness but has shown evidence of increasing melatonin (the hormone that regulates sleep) and reducing your heart rate, which can put you more at ease before your slumber (Black et al., 2015). Click on the video links below for some examples of nighttime guided meditations. 

Guided meditations, especially those for anxiety or affirmation-building, can support the reduction of anxious feelings. Among the several benefits of meditation already mentioned, meditation can also help with decreasing negative thoughts, slowing down elevated heart rates, and increasing presence (Chen et al., 2012). Below you will find links for anxiety-reducing meditations.

Don’t we all wish we had the energy that kids have? While that energy and positivity from children is great, meditating is a rare, but useful practice for the young people in our lives as well. Studies suggest that kids who regularly meditate may have increased focus, higher self-management, increased resiliency, and be better listeners in class and in their social relationships (Snel, 2013). You can find some examples of children’s guided meditations below. 

If you’ve read this far and are interested in learning more about guided meditation and its benefits, here are some other resources that may be worth checking out. 
​
Guided Meditation Apps

• Calm: an app available on all smartphones which offers guided meditations and mindfulness exercises 
• Headspace: guided meditation app curated for beginners which offers hundreds of types of meditations to choose from 
• Insight Timer: free app and week-long course that holds a library of more than 40,000 meditation videos and audio 

Guided Meditation Podcasts 

• Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris: based on the book of the same title, this podcast discusses the science of meditation 
• The Daily Meditation Podcast: a meditation podcast hosted by Mary Meckley which offers short guided meditations 
• Peace Out Podcast: curated for children, this podcast uses storytelling and visualization to help guide breathing exercises and meditations
• Sleep Whisperers: a podcast for…you guessed it—sleep. This features several episodes of longer meditations that can help put you to sleep each night. Don’t forget to use the sleep timer on whichever platform you use for podcasts!

Additional Guided Meditation Resource

• Mindful.org specializes in mindfulness, meditation, and calmness. Visit this resource for guided meditations, meditation scripts, mindful writing prompts, and more tips to relax your mind.

• “Meditation is a vital way to purify and quiet the mind, thus rejuvenating the body.” – Deepak Chopra
  

• “Meditation is not passive sitting in silence. It is sitting in awareness, free from distraction, and realizing the clear understanding that arises from concentration.” – Thich Nhat Hanh 
  

• “Meditation is choosing not to engage in the drama of the mind but elevating the mind to its highest potential.” – Amit Ray
  

• “The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.” – Rumi
  

• “The mind is definitely something that can be transformed, and meditation is a means to transform it.” – Dalai Lama
  

• “Meditation is bringing the mind home.” – Sogyal Rinpoche ​
  

​Want to learn more about guided meditation? Check out these articles:​​

• Barnes, V. A., Davis, H. C., Murzynowski, J. B., & Treiber, F. A. (2004). Impact of meditation on resting and ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate in youth. Psychosomatic medicine, 66(6), 909-914.
• Black, D. S., O’Reilly, G. A., Olmstead, R., Breen, E. C., & Irwin, M. R. (2015). Mindfulness meditation and improvement in sleep quality and daytime impairment among older adults with sleep disturbances: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA internal medicine, 175(4), 494-501. 
• Chen, K. W., Berger, C. C., Manheimer, E., Forde, D., Magidson, J., Dachman, L., & Lejuez, C. W. (2012). Meditative therapies for reducing anxiety: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. Depression and anxiety, 29(7), 545-562.
• Correll, J., Spencer, S. J., & Zanna, M. P. (2004). An affirmed self and an open mind: Self-affirmation and sensitivity to argument strength. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40(3), 350-356. 
• Eberth, J., & Sedlmeier, P. (2012). The effects of mindfulness meditation: a meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 3(3), 174-189.
• Emmons, R. A., & Shelton, C. M. (2002). Gratitude and the science of positive psychology. Handbook of positive psychology, 18, 459-471. 
• Hanh, T. N. (2009). The Blooming of a Lotus: Revised Edition of the Classic Guided Meditation for Achieving the Miracle of Mindfulness [Revised edition] (p. 152). Beacon Press.
• Snel, E. (2013). Sitting still like a frog: Mindfulness exercises for kids (and their parents). Shambhala Publications.
• Webb, R. E., & Rosenbaum, P. (2019). Resilience and thinking perpendicularly: A meditation or morning jog. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 33(1), 75-88. ​