The Purpose of Guided Meditation:
The purpose of guided meditation is to assist you when you need help meditating. There’s plenty of reasons to either accept or reject assistance. Sometimes we need help from others, and other times, we need to learn to deal with the tension ourselves. The purpose of this article is to help you understand the benefits and harms of guided meditation, allowing you to make the best decisions in your day-to-day practice.
The Benefits of Guided Meditation:
When one first begins meditating, it may be challenging at times to continue to practice. They may either lack the knowledge of what to do or possibly be held back by a host of fears. Whether from fear of failure, fear of success, and everything in between, guided meditation allows us to lean on another’s experience, guiding us through this turbulent path. For others, there’s not enough time in the day. When falling behind, guided meditation allows us to “check the box” and feel good about our accomplishments.
The Harms of Guided Meditation:
As always, just as guided meditation carries with it a host of benefits, it also brings with it harms. It’s easy to rely upon the crutch of dependency, leaning upon another’s experience, rather than building our own. Yet, the most incredible benefits of meditation come from our struggles and never from pre-recorded guided meditations. It’s the hard work that yields the most generous fruit. We may find ourselves escaping real work, telling ourselves, “It’s late, or I’m tired.” Yet, excuses will not take us over the finish line, and sometimes “checking the box” isn’t enough.
Conclusion:
Remember your goals and how you’re developing. If you’re seeking in-depth insight into your awareness, then guided meditation isn’t going to cut it. There is a time and place for guided meditation, and we must learn to understand ourselves, knowing when to slow down or speed up. The meditative path is fraught with difficulties. Do your best, commit to the hard work, and everything will become self-evident.
