It took me 8 years of trying to meditate for as little as 5 minutes until I was finally able to settle into this practice daily. It has been worth each of those years. Through meditation I have found peace, freedom from all the noise of my ego fluttering around wildly in my mind.
Meditation is intimidating to many, especially at the beginning, because it is challenging to quiet our mind. I will share with you a tidbit I received from one of my teachers.
Instead of trying to let go of all your thoughts, simply let go of this expectation, and let your practice be what it is. There is no right or wrong.
There are so many ways to meditate. I’ve tried several and surely have hardly scratched the surface. I encourage you to try different styles as well, and find what suits you. I’ve used apps and various guided meditations, attended in-person group classes, and sat in the quiet of my room with no guidance at all. Sometimes I set an intention for my mediation at the start. Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I have soft music playing. Other times I meditate in complete silence.
This guide is for those who are fairly new to the practice and would like some resources on where to start. What I share below is a compilation of some of the resources that work best for me, as well as recommendations from friends that they truly enjoy.
Headspace
An app with guided meditations. Includes free trial.
Evolve Well with Danielle – Meditation Podcast
Stream these guided meditation audio tracks from her website. Great for all levels.
Kristin Neff – Self-Compassion Meditations
Dr. Neff is, in my opinion, the queen of self-compassion and has the most soothing voice. If you are looking to be more gentle and kind with yourself, give her a listen.
Deepak Chopra’s 21-Day Abundance Meditation Challenge
These guided meditations are so soothing and leave me feeling so magical and connected to the greater universe. They are mostly guided with a few minutes of unguided time to allow you to go on your own journey.
Gabby Bernstein’s Free 4-track Meditation Album
These guided tracks focus on attracting what you want and healing yourself to create space to move forward. Gabby is a strong proponent and teacher of meditation and has provided a thorough and practical 10-step beginner’s guide on her website.
Insight Timer
Large FREE online library and app for meditation tracks. They have so many different styles and teachers. They also have background music and a timer if you prefer to do an unguided practice. This is a great way to explore different styles or search for a meditation for a specific purpose (gratitude, manifesting, health, confidence, anxiety, etc). There’s also a ton of tracks to help with sleeping.
Unguided Meditation with Music
This is one of my favorite musical tracks to listen to whenever I want to feel soothed, calm, or want to have an unguided meditation experience. There are tons of tracks like this on YouTube. I encourage you to explore and find your own.
Live Group Classes
If you’ve never attended an in-person group class, I highly recommend it! The energy is very different and can be very uplifting and encouraging. Some classes may include chanting or sound bowls which are both very lovely. You can use Google or Facebook to search for meditation classes near you.
Have you found other meditation resources that you LOVE? Please share them with me and I’d love to take a look for myself!
Jessica Juliano: Self-Worth Advocate + Author 