Meditation Made Simple

There are many different ways to meditate. Most people think meditation is not just thinking. Which is kind of true. It is a time to not think, be in your thoughts and bring yourself into the present moment. One can sit by yourself quietly thinking, or go through a guided meditation for relaxation with a meditation coach, or even have an active meditation. An example of an active meditation may be quieting your thoughts while on a run or walk – or even while swimming! I love getting into that zone while swimming- the pool is a quiet place with little to no interactions with others, where you can count your swim strokes and stay present with where you are and what you are doing.

Other ways or forms to meditate include doing a body scan for healing. You can also chant. You can do energy work and invite positive energy in your body and let it flow through or fill you up. You can just focus on a few words like in a chant. I love chanting ‘I am love’ as in the song.

Guided Meditation

Today’s blog post really focuses on my practice around guided meditations. I have learned both to meditate in unguided and guided ways. I enjoy the guided meditation because it helps me get to that place of peace and stillness more quickly and effortlessly. I enjoy being able to focus on a topic that I have selected beforehand and let that be the guide to whatever spirit is telling me to focus on that particular day.

Guided meditation, or even unguided meditation, is really a beautiful self-care practice for you, and only you. Meditating can rejuvenate your mind, your body, and your soul. It is a time where you can process your day, or even find a way to begin your day in a  more calm and relaxed state. When you meditate, you are giving yourself permission to literally stop everything and be still from as little as five minutes to really as long as you would like. My guided meditations are typically between 20 and 30 minutes. [click_to_tweet tweet=”The more I meditate during the week the more in the center of myself I feel” quote=”The more I meditate during the week the more in the center of myself I feel.”] I typically choose to meditate at least three to four times a week. Sometimes I meditate during the day, and sometimes it is a nighttime activity, typically right before bed. (and one thing to remember is not to judge yourself if you fall asleep, lol)

Because guided meditation has become so popular over the last few years there are many many resources to tap into for the purpose of creating, manifesting, deep diving, into the topic du jour. 

Tools, Apps, and Facilitators

My go-to for meditation is YouTube. The beautiful thing about YouTube is that one can search for almost any guided meditation that spirit guides you to.  Whether you want to focus on a chakra, a healing body scan, work on self-worth or simply find a way to relax your mind completely for a specified amount of time, it is there you can find meditations and all topics in any length of time. Some of my favorite authors on YouTube for guided meditation include Jason Stephenson, Joe tea from hypnotic labs, and another Channel called “mindful movement”. Looking through my list right now, my latest guided meditations have been chakra aligning, meditations around surrender and letting go, I’ve done grounding, meditations, and I’ve even done a meditation to meet my personal spirit guide. Really, your mind and imagination are your only limit when it comes to finding an amazing guided meditation on YouTube or in other sources or apps like Headspace or Calm. I have used the app Headspace in the past. Not only is it a great app for meditation but you can also be great for helping you to get to sleep and stay asleep. Headspace is really a beautiful app for mindfulness and sleep. Other apps in most Play Stores include Calm, Serenity, and there’s even an app called My Meditation.

With many of the meditation apps, you can make your own guided meditation as well. You will record in your own voice. It’s a very good way to elevate your mood, work on certain topics such as self-worth and calming your mind and body. Record your own affirmations, in your own voice, and listen to them during your guided meditation time. I find it very beneficial 2 hear the affirmations that I want to hear in my voice and listen to it laid back on a loop set to music over 5 or 10 minutes a few times a week. The tool you use can be as simple as a voice recorder where you spend some time recording your affirmations to yourself, or as simple as again, using an app that will automatically record your voice and your affirmations and set it to music on a loop the choice is yours. 

Meditation With the Family

My wife and I choose to do a few guided meditations together a few times a week. It’s an amazing time for us to be intimate and close, focusing on a mutually agreed topic of healing. We set our intentions for healing before we begin and then after the meditation we circle back around and share anything that might have come up for us during the mediation. It is healing and synergizing for us both. We have practiced this together for years and feel that it is a tool to help fortify us as a couple and as individuals.

Again, mediation is not all about sitting still, looking like a buddha in a silent room, although that may be a great place to start. As mentioned earlier, you can do running mediations, in the swimming pool, or even by a campfire. If you have ever gone camping, you may have noticed how mesmerizing the campfire is as you sit still and focus on the flickering flames.

It’s never too late (or too early) to start meditating. I have been meditating half my life – I even taught my wife the basics back when we were dating 25 years ago. We have taught our kids to calm their minds from a very early age with guided meditations at bedtime as well as music that calms and soothes. We even had children’s books that spoke to the practice of guided meditation! Meditation promotes a natural calm for kids.

As teenagers, our boys (Rex and Lucas) don’t (consciously) meditate too often, but I am pleased to know that they do have that tool to utilize if/when they pick their practice back up.

If you have never Meditated before, be gentle with yourself. Like anything else that you do, it takes practice. It is literally a muscle, your brain muscle, that needs to be flexed a few times before you feel he’s in the flow that meditation can bring. Guided meditations are a great way to begin that practice.

An app that I really appreciate to log my meditations is the YDBG app, available on both the android play store and on iOS. It is a habit tracking app that tracks your habits in a fun and engaging way. It has a social media feeling but shows you how changing and tracking just a few things a week can add up to huge changes over time.

If you ever have any questions about guided meditation and want to have a conversation with me about it, feel free to reach out to me at any time on  Instagram or facebook. My Instagram handle is @billjamison. 

I am wishing you the best in your mindfulness practice – and may it result in many more magical moments!

Create an amazing day!
Bill