F.A.Q about Guided Meditation

What are the benefits of guided meditation?

Guided meditation has many health benefits when practiced regularly. Some of these benefits include better health and disposition, reduced stress and anxiety and greater levels of peace and harmony. Meditation can also surface and clear negative emotional states and also speed up the body's natural healing process. Practicing meditations will also expand your awareness and develop your psychic ability. This can also lead to developing your ability to connect with your higher self and guides.

What are the differences between guided meditation and other forms of meditation?

Guided meditation is a type of meditation where you listen to an instructor's voice guide you on a journey to reach a certain state or goal. This may simply be to relax, ground oneself or connect with the realm of spirit, to name a few examples. Guided meditation can also teach you how to breathe deeply and slowly to release tension in your body. You can listen to guided meditation in the comfort of your home with an audio recording, which means you do not need to attend a formal class. Guided meditation also differs from some traditional forms of meditation in that you don't need to sit in a lotus position — you can sit in a chair or lie down if you wish.

Guided meditation keeps your mind active during the meditation, rather than simply experiencing silence like other forms of meditation. This is beneficial for people who would like some guidance and direction during their meditation practice, and for this reason is perfect for beginners to meditation.

How often and when should I practice guided meditation?

Some people like to practice meditation first thing upon rising or at night before bed. Meditation can sometimes energise the mind in some people: if this happens it is best to practice meditation during the day. Meditation has an accumulative effect over a period of time, in that the benefits will increase over that period of time. As a guideline it is recommended to start practicing guided meditation for 10 minutes a day. You may like to build this up gradually to 15-25 minutes a day, or longer. Setting aside some time out from your schedule to simply relax and unwind with a guided meditation recording is a good idea.

Where is the best place to download a guided meditation audio recording?

There are many ways to listen to a guided meditation recording. You may like to purchase a guided meditation CD to play with a CD player or Hi Fi system. You may prefer to download an mp3 from a digital store such as iTunes (www.itunes.com) or from the many other that now exist. You can then listen to the guided meditation on your computer, or transfer it to an mp3 player or burn to a CD. This is a very affordable option and once you have downloaded the mp3s, you can listen to the recordings as often as you wish.

Which guided meditation recording is best for me?

This is very much a personal preference. Some people may prefer to listen to a female instructor or a male instructor. Some people may prefer to listen to a meditation instructor with their native tongue or in a foreign accent. On iTunes, for example, there are literally hundreds of guided meditation albums by different artists, many of these artists are from the USA. Some meditation artists may talk faster or slower or somewhere in between. One of the nice things about a guided meditation recording is the background music. The meditation music, if done correctly, usually enhances the listener's meditation experience.

F.A.Q about Positive Affirmations

What are positive affirmations?

Positive affirmations are positive powerful statements that affirm something you desire in the now, in the present tense. We state positive affirmations as if they have already occurred, such as "I am" or "I have". We don't use statements such as "I want" or "I need" as your brain will only hear the wanting or needing, rather than already embodying what you desire.

What benefits can I expect from positive affirmations?

Positive affirmations can be tailored to almost anything beneficial, such as better health and wellbeing, maintaining a healthy weight, or to obtain greater wealth and abundance, to list a few examples. The benefits will be gradual and gain momentum depending upon how often you practice the affirmations and your willingness to act on them.

Should I say the affirmations out loud or under my breath?

You can repeat the affirmations under your breath or say them out loud if you prefer. The idea with repetition is for the affirmations to have a greater impact on your psyche. Often affirmation recordings are looped or repeated several times so that they have a greater impact and effect.

How often should I listen to or recite positive affirmations?

Affirmations become more effective when you recite, or listen to them regularly. It can take time and work to reprogram your subconscious mind from past negative programming to positive empowering beliefs. As a general rule it is recommended to listen to or recite positive affirmations daily, or at least a few times a week. Like anything, the more effort and energy you put in the more immediate and obvious the results will be.

What is the best way to listen to positive affirmations?

The most effective way to listen to positive affirmations is with an audio recording using headphones, either with an mp3 player or iPod or on your computer. As with meditation, it is best if you are relaxed and undisturbed while listening to them to achieve the greatest impact. You can listen to positive affirmations while you are lying down, sitting, or even walking. It is best if you listen to them when you are relaxed, focused and don't have other tasks to do. This way your subconscious mind will be more open to positive suggestions.

How soon can I expect to see results?

The more often you affirm something, the more your mind will accept it, thereby reaping positive changes in your life. Positive affirmations are the first step in creating the mindset you need to achieve your goals. The next step is then taking the appropriate action to see your vision become a reality. For example if you desire to lose some weight, after listening to the positive affirmations you may be inspired to eat more healthily, or to start exercising regularly. Remember to follow through by taking the action you are inspired or prompted to take.