Most people who start a meditation begin with guided meditations, such as with our own meditations on Youtube. But after a while, you might find yourself wanting to get into self guided meditation.
Self guided meditation is exactly how it sounds: leading yourself through a meditation practice without the assistance of an audio guide. There are inherent pros and cons to this. On the downside, it’s harder to become focussed in a self guided meditation because you don’t have the instructor there to guide you. Also, you will certainly need a better understanding of the principles of meditation in order to lead yourself. Like I said, there are pros and cons. The benefits of self
guided meditation are that you might find that you go deeper in meditation when you’re not distracted by someone else’s voice. Plus, self guided meditation can often provide richer insights into your own mind.
Honestly, for most people it’s a good idea to do both guided and self guided meditation. Indeed, this is how I work with most of my students in my online meditation sessions. I lead them through a specific meditation technique and teach them everything they need to know. Then, I advise them to practice that technique as a self-guided meditation in their own time.
So yes, it is a good idea to learn self guided meditation. That being said, there is a right and a wrong way how to do self guided meditation. So, let’s take a look.
Steps For Self Guided Meditation
1: Make an informed choice of meditation technique
The first thing you’ll want to do is to choose a meditation technique. This is important for two reasons. Firstly, so you choose a technique that is effective for you. And secondly, so you don’t change your mind halfway through your session. If you havent made a definitive choice as to what you’re doing you might ummm and ahhh over it while you’re meditating, which is not conducive to focus.
2: Set A Timer
Usually when you do a guided meditation you’re using a video, and conveniently that video tells you precisely how long it is so you don’t have to look at the clock. Not so for self guided meditation. You won’t be sure how much time is passing and if you’re like me you might worry that you’ve slipped into a timewarp like Buck Rogers. It’s better to just set a timer so you know how long your meditation session will last. Speaking of which, here is how long your meditation should last.
3: Nailing The Basics of Meditation
When you are just starting to get into self guided meditation, you will probably want to stick to basic meditation techniques like mindful breathing, rather than advanced methods like Merkaba and Kundalini. Even then though, there are certain steps and principles that you’ll need to stick to. For starters, remember to use your breath like an anchor. When your mind wanders just gently lead your mind back to your breath. Also talk to yourself in the right way. You know how meditation teachers like me always sound relaxing and soothing? Try to sound that same way when you talk to yourself during your meditation practice (and maybe just in general). Finally, remember that you can help yourself to relax in many of the same ways those guided meditations do. For instance, in my videos I’ll use relaxing sounds and shots of nature to help you relax, but you can do the same thing yourself by playing relaxing background music and doing it somewhere calming like in the garden.
4: Accept that it might take a few tries
Inevitably, guiding yourself in meditation will be more challenging than do a premade guided meditation. That’s fine. Just accept that it might not be perfect the first time, and keep trying. Remember, practice makes perfect.
Summary
I advise you to mix guided meditation with self guided meditation because they provide different benefits. Guided is easier and often quicker. But self guided will help you to go deeper and to gain more insights into your mind. When you do self guided meditation choose a technique, set a timer, do it somewhere relaxing, and use your breath as an anchor to help focus your mind. And finally, to go further, book a private meditation session with me today.