Spiritual Forum. Org

I love guided meditations. There are lots of good ones (and bad ones) on Youtube. I mostly listen to the ones that guide your through an imaginary scene, like walking through a forest and seeing certain animals. They give me the same deep relaxation as mindful meditation, but I find it easier to concentrate.

I use guided meditations to take myself to an internal place of relaxation, very often some place in nature. But I also use them in conjunction with my goals. I visualize myself having already achieved my goals. This not only helps me have faith that they can become a reality, but it also helps me change my self-image in relation to my desired goal.

Guided meditation makes the possibility of internal relaxation and help to achieve the goal.  Having the guided meditation creates the connection between your health, self development and goal.

When you said guided, I was picturing the rooms full of people, sitting in circles, with a leader doing a similar thing. That I don't like at all. It never fails that someone has the sniffles or a cold that causes them to cough. Or even just fidgeting around as they can't relax entirely...

That was often a problem when I taught group meditation classes - there's always one person who can't "leave the world behind". Granted it isn't for everyone. Some start with guided visualizations and are happy to stay with them; others find a need to move on to private meditations.

Just once, in almost 30 years of teaching, did I have to throw a student out of meditation class. She shuffled, she snuffled, she talked and she grumbled. When I politely asked her to remain quiet and focus she went ballistic. Perhaps she had demons, who knows - but the class applauded when I finally escorted her out (physically, sad to say), so I know it wasn't just MY perception that was at fault.