Meditation Techniques: Guided vs Unguided Meditation

Meditation Techniques: In today’s rapidly-moving, digitally-centered world, meditation is one of the best ways to restore calm and clarity. Even though meditation has become common knowledge, that leads to a question — do you do guided meditation, or no guidance? Both guided and unguided forms can help you be more mindful, but will take you on different paths to achieve this state. Let’s take a close look at each practice to help you determine what will be the best practice for you.

Guided meditation is a practice with a teacher (in person, or through an app or video recording) guiding you through the practice at a slow pace. you are then guided to place your attention on a particular object, to relax your body, and practice certain breathing or visualization techniques.

This can be a great help to beginners because the uncertainty is removed. The tone of the teacher’s voice helps you to center your thoughts and focus, even if your mind wanders.

Some common guided practices include:

• Body Scan meditation – focusing on relaxing each body part,
• Visualisation meditation – imagining a peaceful spot, like a forest or the beach,
• Breath awareness – being aware of how quickly you are breathing,
• Affirmation meditation – using positive statements to uplift your thoughts.

Guided meditation provides a framework, making it excellent for someone new to meditation or who struggles to meditate without noise.

Self-guided or unguided meditation has no teacher or background noise and you just sit quietly and focus on breathing, repeat a mantra, or observe your thoughts and feelings in your awareness as they come and go.

With the un-guided style, you are ultimately in charge of your meditation experience. No direction. No sounds. Only you and your internal consciousness.

It may be more difficult for beginners to practice unguided meditation but over time you will have more self-reflection and autonomy to your meditation the more familiar you become.

Individuals typically practice mindfulness, mantra, breath, or loving-kindness meditation, including:

• Mindfulness meditation – the practice of watching thoughts and not judging them.
• Mantra meditation – the practice of saying a specific word or sound to assist with maintaining focus.
• Breath meditation – the practice of focusing on your inhale and exhale.
• Loving-kindness meditation – the practice of feeling loving-kindness towards yourself and/or others.

Independent meditation is typically the preferred method for individuals who understand the basics of meditation and want to increase self-awareness on their own.

Choosing meditation method is dependent on your intention for meditating, your level of meditation experience, and personal disposition.

New meditators may appreciate guided meditation because of its structure, motivation, and descriptions of how to settle the mind and focus. There are many guided meditations available through mobile apps, including Calm, Headspace and Insight Timer, which vary depending on topic (e.g., relaxation, stress, sleep, etc.).

Independent meditation will feel more familiar if you are an experienced meditator. You can do a deeper dive into your own thinking and reflection without the signal or cues of another person. Additionally, independent meditation is valuable if you want to practice self-disciple and build your connection to present practice.

You are not restricted, either, you could practice guided meditation for your morning sessions as practice for focus, and in the evening practice independent meditation to sit and reflect. There are no rules, only what you explore as being suitable for you.

Regardless of what meditation practice you choose to do, the benefits will always be real and important. Regular practice makes a real difference and helps to lower levels of stress, anxiety and fatigue. It helps with focus, supports emotional regulation, and can help get improved sleep. Meditation can also improve your self-awareness and help you manage your responses to difficult situations.

Studies show that mediation will improve cognitive function by increasing gray matter, bring down cortisol levels, and improve attention span. Whether you decide to do a guided meditation, mindfulness or simply meditate in stillness, the benefits will add up over time and change the way you think and feel.

There is no single right way to meditate. Guided meditation will provide a kind of road map so you can succeed. Unguided meditation allows you to develop your own autonomy and a deeper relationship with self. The most important thing to measure is consistency. The more you practice the meditations, the more benefits of meditation you will have – greater clarity of thought, improved emotional regulation, and a greater sense inner calm.

As always, begin wherever you are right now. Choose what works for you and let meditation gradually grow you into a more calm and aware version of yourself.