Guided Meditation: What It Is, How It Works and How It Can Help You Relax
Updated: Sep 3
Have you ever tried to meditate, only to find that the moment you close your eyes your mind becomes busier than ever?
You start thinking about what you need to do tomorrow, something somebody said yesterday, an email you haven't answered or whether you're actually “doing meditation properly”.
If that sounds familiar, you're certainly not alone.
One of the reasons guided meditation can be particularly helpful for beginners is that you don't have to work out what to do. Instead of trying to empty your mind or sit in silence, you simply listen to a voice guiding your attention.
I'm Sharon Shinwell, a UK clinical hypnotherapist, counsellor and psychotherapist with more than 25 years' professional experience. I've used relaxation, visualisation and guided techniques throughout my professional work, and I've also created a range of guided meditation recordings for people who want a simple way to make relaxation and mindfulness part of everyday life.
So what exactly is guided meditation, and where do you start?
What Is Guided Meditation?
Guided meditation is a form of meditation in which spoken instructions lead you through the experience.
Depending on the meditation, you might be encouraged to:
focus on your breathing
notice sensations in your body
release physical tension
visualise a peaceful place or situation
bring your attention back to the present moment
observe thoughts without becoming caught up in them
focus on a particular theme or intention
You don't need any previous meditation experience.
And importantly, you don't have to stop thinking.
Thoughts will appear. That's what minds do.
The practice is noticing when your attention has wandered and gently bringing it back to the guidance.
How Does Guided Meditation Work?
One of the simplest ways to understand guided meditation is to think of the voice as something that gives your attention a direction.
Rather than sitting quietly wondering:
What am I supposed to be thinking about?
you have something to follow.
You may be asked to notice your breathing for a while, relax different areas of your body or imagine yourself somewhere peaceful.
This can make meditation feel much more accessible, particularly if you find sitting silently difficult.
Meditation practices commonly involve focusing attention on something such as the breath, a sensation, an image or the present moment. Research into meditation and mindfulness suggests possible benefits for stress and anxiety, although results vary considerably depending on the type of meditation and the people being studied.
Do I Have to Clear My Mind to Meditate?
No.
This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about meditation.
People sometimes tell me:
“I tried meditation but I couldn't stop thinking.”
That doesn't mean you failed.
Imagine you're listening to a guided meditation and suddenly realise you've spent the last two minutes thinking about what you're having for dinner.
You haven't ruined anything.
You simply notice:
I've wandered off.
Then you return your attention to the voice.
You may do that twenty times during one meditation.
That's fine.
The aim isn't to achieve a perfectly blank mind. It's to practise bringing your attention back when it wanders.
What Is the Difference Between Guided Meditation and Mindfulness?
The terms overlap, but they don't mean exactly the same thing.
Mindfulness generally involves deliberately paying attention to what's happening in the present moment without immediately judging the experience.
You might notice your breathing, physical sensations, sounds around you or thoughts passing through your mind.
Guided meditation simply means that somebody is guiding you verbally through a meditation.
A guided meditation can therefore include mindfulness, but it might also include relaxation, breathing exercises, visualisation or other techniques.
You don't necessarily need to choose one or the other.
Many guided meditations combine several approaches.
What Is the Difference Between Guided Meditation and Self-Hypnosis?
This is another question people often ask because the two can sound very similar.
Both may involve:
closing your eyes
relaxing physically
focusing your attention
listening to spoken guidance
using imagery or visualisation
The difference is largely in the purpose and direction of the session.
Guided meditation generally focuses on awareness, relaxation, mindfulness or a particular meditation experience.
Self-hypnosis tends to use focused relaxation together with therapeutic suggestions directed towards a particular goal or pattern of thinking.
There is considerable overlap in the techniques, which is why the experience of listening to them can sometimes feel similar.
Neither requires you to lose control or become unconscious.
Can Guided Meditation Help With Stress?
Many people use meditation simply because they want some time in the day when they aren't rushing, solving problems or thinking about what needs doing next.
Stress can leave you feeling as though your mind is constantly switched on.
Even when you've technically finished work or completed everything that needed doing, you may still be mentally running through tomorrow's list.
A guided meditation creates a deliberate break.
For ten minutes, twenty minutes or longer, somebody else is providing the direction and your only job is to follow.
Research suggests meditation and mindfulness may help with symptoms of stress and anxiety, although the evidence isn't equally strong for every type of meditation or every condition.
If stress or anxiety is persistent, severe or affecting your everyday life, meditation shouldn't be used instead of seeking appropriate professional help.
Which Guided Meditation Is Best for Stress and Anxiety?
There isn't one meditation that's best for everybody.
If you find it difficult to switch off, you may prefer a longer recording that gives you plenty of time to settle.
If you're already familiar with meditation, you may prefer something shorter that fits easily into your day.
For people who want a longer relaxation experience, I created my Guided Meditation for Stress & Anxiety MP3 + companion eBook.
The 89-minute recording combines mindful breathing, gentle visualisation and progressive relaxation, making it particularly suitable when you want plenty of time to unwind without feeling rushed.
You can read more about the Guided Meditation for Stress & Anxiety MP3 here.
Can Guided Meditation Help With Anxiety?
Meditation can be used as a self-help and relaxation technique when you're experiencing anxious or racing thoughts.
One useful aspect of meditation is learning that you don't necessarily have to respond to every thought that enters your mind.
You can notice:
I'm worrying again.
without immediately spending the next half-hour analysing the worry.
Mindfulness-based approaches have been studied for anxiety, with some research showing benefits, although the evidence is mixed and shouldn't be interpreted as meaning that a meditation recording treats an anxiety disorder.
If you're experiencing persistent anxiety or panic attacks, speak to your GP or an appropriate mental health professional.
Can Guided Meditation Help With Panic Attacks?
If you experience panic attacks, relaxation and meditation techniques may be useful as part of a broader approach to managing anxiety.
However, I wouldn't suggest relying on a meditation recording as a treatment for recurring panic attacks.
The useful role of guided meditation is more modest: providing structured practice in slowing down, focusing attention and becoming more comfortable allowing thoughts and sensations to pass without immediately reacting to them.
I have a separate Guided Meditation for Anxiety & Panic Attacks specifically created around relaxation and calming anxious thoughts.
You can read more about the Guided Meditation for Anxiety & Panic Attacks here.
If panic attacks are recurring or affecting what you're able to do, speak to your GP.
Can Guided Meditation Help You Sleep?
Many people enjoy meditation at bedtime because it gives their attention somewhere to go other than tomorrow's problems.
You get into bed physically tired.
Then your mind decides it's the ideal moment to remember everything you've forgotten to do.
A guided meditation can provide an alternative focus while your body settles.
Research into mindfulness meditation suggests it may be helpful for sleep quality and insomnia, although it shouldn't be regarded as a replacement for appropriate assessment or treatment of persistent sleep problems.
I created a separate Sleep Guided Meditation MP3 for people who particularly want meditation as part of their bedtime routine.
You can read more about the Sleep Guided Meditation here.
What About Guided Meditation for Positive Thinking?
Not every meditation needs to be about stress or sleep.
Sometimes the difficulty is the way you speak to yourself throughout the day.
Perhaps you automatically expect things to go wrong.
You dwell on mistakes.
Or one negative event colours everything else that happened that day.
Positive thinking doesn't mean pretending that everything is wonderful.
A more realistic aim is learning to notice when your thinking has become unnecessarily negative and giving yourself an opportunity to respond differently.
My Guided Meditation for Positive Thinking is designed around this idea, providing dedicated time to step away from habitual negative thinking and focus on a more balanced outlook.
You can read more about the Positive Thinking Guided Meditation here.
Can Guided Meditation Improve Self-Esteem?
Self-esteem isn't something that changes because somebody tells you to “think positively”.
How you feel about yourself is usually influenced by years of experiences, beliefs and habits of thinking.
Meditation can provide a quiet space in which to notice some of those patterns without immediately accepting them as facts.
For example:
I'm not good enough.
is a thought.
It may feel completely true.
But meditation can help you practise noticing the thought rather than automatically becoming absorbed in it.
I have also created an Overcoming Low Self-Esteem Guided Meditation for people who want a meditation specifically focused around self-worth and a kinder relationship with themselves.
When Is the Best Time of Day to Meditate?
Whenever you're actually likely to do it.
There's no universally correct time.
Some people enjoy meditating first thing in the morning because it creates a calmer start to the day.
Others prefer lunchtime because it gives them a break between the morning and afternoon.
And many people find evening easiest because they no longer have work or other commitments competing for their attention.
That's one reason my Guided Meditation range includes recordings designed for different parts of the day, including:
A Calm and Purposeful Morning for starting the day.
Guided Lunchtime Meditation for taking some downtime during the working day.
And longer relaxation and sleep meditations for the evening.
The best routine is the one that fits your life.
How Long Should a Guided Meditation Be?
There's no ideal length.
Five or ten minutes can be worthwhile if that's genuinely all the time you have.
A longer meditation gives you more time to settle and may suit you better when you specifically want deep relaxation.
Don't turn meditation into another obligation.
If you've only got ten minutes, meditate for ten minutes.
If you have an hour and enjoy longer sessions, that's fine too.
Consistency may be more useful than setting yourself an unrealistic target and giving up because you can't maintain it.
How Often Should I Meditate?
Again, there's no rule that everybody needs to follow.
Some people enjoy meditating every day.
Others use meditation several times a week or whenever they notice they're becoming particularly stressed or mentally overloaded.
If you're new to meditation, starting with something manageable usually makes more sense than deciding you're suddenly going to meditate for an hour every morning.
Ten minutes that you actually do is more useful than an ambitious routine you abandon after three days.
What If I Keep Getting Distracted?
Expect it.
Your phone rings.
Somebody shuts a door.
You hear traffic.
Your nose itches.
You remember something you need from the supermarket.
None of these things means the meditation has failed.
Notice the distraction and return to the guidance.
That's all.
You don't need perfect silence, although somewhere reasonably quiet and comfortable will obviously make the experience easier.
Can I Meditate Lying Down?
Yes.
You can meditate sitting or lying down, depending on the recording and what feels comfortable.
If you're meditating specifically to relax or prepare for sleep, lying down may be ideal.
If you want to remain more alert — perhaps during a lunchtime meditation — sitting comfortably may suit you better.
The main consideration is safety.
Don't listen to a guided meditation while driving or doing anything that requires your full attention.
What If I Fall Asleep During Guided Meditation?
If you're listening specifically at bedtime, falling asleep isn't a problem.
If your aim is mindfulness or daytime meditation, however, you may prefer to sit rather than lie down so that you're less likely to drift off.
Don't worry about whether you've “wasted” the meditation because you fell asleep.
If you were exhausted and your body needed sleep, that's useful information in itself.
Is Guided Meditation Safe for Everyone?
Meditation and mindfulness are generally considered low-risk for most healthy people, but that doesn't mean every practice is suitable for everybody. Some people report unpleasant experiences such as increased anxiety or intrusive thoughts during meditation.
If meditation makes you feel significantly worse, stop rather than forcing yourself to continue.
And if you're receiving treatment for a mental health condition and are unsure whether meditation is appropriate for you, discuss it with your healthcare professional.
Meditation should complement appropriate healthcare, not replace it.
How Do I Start Guided Meditation?
Keep it simple.
Choose a recording that addresses what you actually want from meditation.
Find somewhere comfortable.
Make sure you won't need to drive or do anything requiring concentration.
Put your phone somewhere it isn't going to interrupt you.
Then listen.
You don't need special equipment.
You don't need to sit in a particular position.
And you certainly don't need to become “good at meditation” before you can benefit from taking some quiet time for yourself.
If you'd like more practical help with beginning meditation, you can also read my How to Get Started With Guided Meditation guide.
Choosing the Right Guided Meditation for You
The easiest way to choose is to start with why you want to meditate.
If your main problem is feeling stressed and unable to switch off, choose a relaxation-focused meditation.
If your mind becomes busy at bedtime, choose one created specifically for sleep.
If negative thoughts dominate your day, try a positive-thinking meditation.
If you want a calmer start to your morning, use a morning recording.
And if you're completely new to meditation, don't worry about finding the perfect one.
Choose something that feels relevant and try it.
You can always explore different styles as you become more familiar with meditation.
Through Self Hypnosis UK, I've created Guided Meditation audio downloads covering stress and anxiety, sleep, positive thinking, mindfulness, self-esteem, panic and anxiety, morning relaxation, lunchtime relaxation and changing habits such as repeated phone checking.
You can browse the complete Guided Meditation collection here.
About Sharon Shinwell
Sharon Shinwell is a UK clinical hypnotherapist, counsellor, psychotherapist and clinical supervisor with more than 25 years' professional experience.
Sharon creates professionally guided meditation and self-hypnosis recordings designed to provide practical, accessible support that people can use privately and in their own time.
If you've never listened to one of Sharon's recordings before, you can also visit the About Sharon Shinwell page to learn more about her professional background and listen to a free 10-minute recording.
