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It seems you’ve hit a wall. You try to keep yourself calm but…
As you watch the Whitehouse reports on the pandemic, you can’t help but get sick. Your unpaid bills turn your stomach. You’re unfinished work from the day before haunts you in your sleep. Your day’s memories tease you, “Come help us. Come on help us,” as you try to rest.
Well, don’t believe your friends on Facebook, or the TV commercials.
There’s a better way to relax than to chug down a good, cheap, bottle of wine.
Have you tried meditation?
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Yes, I know you can score choice bubbly for under ten bucks, but meditation cost nada.
Plus, you’ll wake up the next morning revived. You’ll give no thought to the lure of an Ambien-chaser.
Face it. There’s a better way to get through these uncertain times.
Hello, National Meditation Month. These next thirty days let you test-drive meditation. Here are the tech-driven tips to help you make this into your new habit.
1. Find guided meditation for beginners on You-Tube
2. Save a couple of back-up You-Tube guided meditations
3. Include your faith in your You-Tube guided meditations list
4. Create the ultimate You-Tube guided meditation playlist
5. Download new meditation apps for your Android or I-phone
6. Use helpful built-in apps to track important health info
7. Use smartphone features to personalize meditation practices
8. Let Google Calendar or others save you time to mediate daily
9. Set alarms and get support to meet meditation goals
1. Find You-Tube Guided Meditations for Beginners
You may say, “I can handle this!” But it’s harder than it looks.
Yes, you can breathe in and pay attention to your breath. Still, it’s not easy to keep your mind focused. Yes it loves to wander. Doesn’t it?
This struggle to get your attention makes it hard to notice the good things that come from meditation practice.
Everyone’s been in those skeptical Skechers.
So, pack up your doubts, and visit these helpful, You-Tube, meditation destinations.
These two time-saving videos below better show you how You-Tube rocks. Try out these quick, meditation videos.
Honest Guys 5:24
Music that soothes plus his amazing voice is a fit for anyone’s number one choice. Click here or press play below. These guys are the best, Honest. Their short intro blends into a natural musical climax. Question: Guys? What are solar plexus?
Dial-up this next video when you’re in a time-crunch.
Green Mountain at Fox Run 4:31
Calming music and her tone which aims true, make this your guided meditation number two. Oh, did I mention, this session is four-and-a-half-minutes long? Impressive.
Beginners, discover the prize of the You-Tube community. It’s a guided meditation that lasts less than five minutes. Many video titles promise a five-minute meditation, but oh, how they exaggerate. Click bait. Click bait.
Click here or hit play below. Look, the timestamp proves it’s under five minutes.
2. Have a Couple of Back-up Videos Handy
Links break. You-Tube content changes. So, prepare for mishaps. Load up some guided-meditation substitution videos onto your list.
Substitution #1
Beyond Purpose 5:33
Stephanie’s voice is fairly smooth. It registers a bit less than a perfect ten for a meditation guide. Still, the color photography in this video makes her work divine.
Warning: Her vocal spot on the meditation-imagination connection may be more than a morsel long.
Click here or press play below to listen.
Hear her introduce you to her own brand of biofeedback?
Bob Baker 5:28
Substitution #2
Baker’s static screen isn’t a treat for you. That’s why the video’s back-up number two. Bob makes a simple video for beginners.
He wants you, the beginner, to feel at ease. But if it feels forced,. Relax. His one-of-a-kind biofeedback techniques are worth a listen.
Click here or press play below to hear and see for yourself.
3. Put your Faith at the Heart of your Meditation Practice
Christians don’t sweat it. Yoga instructor, Caroline Williams does a great job. She makes Christ the center of her meditation
She explains Jesus is the ultimate and universal good. Click her name below to listen to her Christian yoga journey.
Ms. Williams tells you how it is. Don’t feel guilty about practicing meditation.
Remember Isaac, in the Old Testament? He meditated too.
Many people don’t like the idea of self-emptying. So Caroline makes a great point.
During meditation, Caroline urges you, let faith and desire for God fill you.
Caroline Williams 6:03
Meditation is Christ-centered because Jesus is the ultimate and universal good.
–Caroline Williams, Caroline Williams Yoga
Caroline has a beautiful voice. Click here or press play to feel her own brand of meditation.
Although background music isn’t there, she still has much to say to make up for it. This video does a fine job as it connects meditation to faith.
Also, after you watch it for the first time, fast forward it to 0:32 and enjoy a full five-minute meditation.
4. Create a Master Playlist Including All your Favorites
This list should have your select You-Tube housed guided meditations.
If you forgot how to create playlists, follow these steps:
- Pull up a video you like and want to save on your playlist.
- Move your cursor arrow or finger on top of the video.
- Click the plus sign at the top of the video.
- If you don’t like the default list, such as Saved to Watch Later, then change your playlist name.
- Add more videos to your playlist as you come across them.
Soon you’ll have your greatest meditation hits of all YouTube libraries.
Be sure to subscribe to the channels you want to follow. That way, if these stations create newer content, you’ll be the first to know.
5. Download a New and/or Helpful App off of Google Play or Apple Store
Phone apps for beginners of meditation are fantastic. These help students practice meditation without internet or Wi-Fi.
Apps give you more control of your meditation experience. It’s so easy to slow down videos or speed them up.
And apps let you customize your meditation experience. So, these can set meditation practice time lengths.
Headspace is the perfect app to get you started.. It’s Android or Apple downloadable.
Headspace (Free trial)
The following reviews talk about Headspace’s advantages:
- Customizable practice time limits
- Their cartoons help you get over meditation blocks
- Andy’s calm and reassuring voice
- Time to notice what works in your meditation session
- Love the positive reinforcement
These perks give this app my number one rating. Browse Headspace on You-Tube’s home page. You’ll know whether this guide is best for you.
Click here to get through meditation basics.
This video guide covers everything you’ll need for successful meditation practice.
- Most comfortable poses
- Best meditation places
- Ideal meditation times
I wish I could afford his golden voice. (And I get absolutely no moolah for saying that!)
Finish all of these no cost meditative sessions. Then, you’ll soon see they’re worth your time investment.
The free trial helps…
- You look forward to your meditation practice.
- Develop a desire to meditate.
- See a routine set-up to guide you through a session.
- Copy this structure into your own future practices.
Still, the app is so handy, I don’t know how I kept my $69.95 a year. (Of course, this was it’s price tag the last I checked.)
Oh yeah, I need an extra $69.99.
Unemployed, workers! Headspace offers you free meditations for the entire year. Click here to find out more.
6. Use Built-in Smartphone Apps to Track Health Information
Rub your inner-critic’s nose into the proof of better sleep quality and lower stress levels.
You can get a sense of your happiness levels with a voice journal.
- Tape yourself before and after your meditation experience.
- Rate how you feel before and after meditation. Use a 1-10 scale.
- Track your data in your I-phone or Android/I-phone notes app or on your calendar.
7. Use your Smartphone to Customize your Meditation Experience
Your smartphone can create tailored meditation sessions for your success.
- Tape-record favorite meditations for future playback and have shorter meditation sessions.
- Create a guided meditation with a comfortable voice.
- Meditate to a song from a free music service like Spotify.
- Play prerecorded stories, if available, on your smartphone for meditation variety.
8. Schedule Time for Meditation on your Smartphone Calendar
BUZZZZZ! BUZZZZZ! Nothing like the sound of a ding to remind you of a prescheduled event on your Smartphone calendar.
Daily, save meditation time.
This will let your smartphone set it like an appointment. Some smartphones can read aloud your agenda each day.
These spoken announcements sit in your subconscious mind. They make it harder to overlook your own self-care.
9. Create Alarms/Join Support Groups to Meet Meditation Goals
If you remember it takes a full thirty days or longer to form a habit. So, you may need to grab some help.
It’s a challenge to meet these goals. Expect conflicts to interrupt your habit-forming process.
When you hear these excuses below, realize your brain wants to keep you safe.
Fight harder to form a solid meditation habit.
Listen for these slips:
- I’m not good at it.
- I don’t have time for it.
- I skipped it yesterday.
Admit it. This is your inner self-talk. It’s all part of the war between the body and the mind. Move past this contest of wills, and you’ll have a strong habit formed.
Note: Pick an alarms that annoys you. This makes it harder to skip set meditation appointments.
If you lose this battle of wills, don’t be afraid to speak out. Use the extra support of a social media self-help group to ease you through this transition.
Hal Elrod, a successful author, set up a support group to ensure readers of his book, Miracle Morning, to find success.
Join a similar group and post your need. Partner up and keep each other accountable for honoring your meditation commitments.
Roll the Ending Credits
To form a habit isn’t easy. But use these free high-tech tools to give you the edge to fight resistance when it shows up. Follow these tips, and you’ll create positive habits in no time.
1. Find a free, beginning, guided meditation on You-Tube.
2. Save a couple of back-up You-Tube guided meditations.
3. Include your faith in your You-Tube guided meditations list.
4. Create a master meditative playlist for easy playback.
5. Download new meditation apps for Android or I-phone.
6. Use helpful built-in apps to track important health information.
7. Use smartphone features to personalize meditation practices.
8. Use Google calendar or other apps to save meditation time.
9. Create alarms and/or join a support group to keep you committed to your goals.
There you have it. A creative, tech-driven beginner’s guide to better meditation.
Give it a month. Put in the effort, and you’ll see the results: a calmer, happier you.
If you have any questions or suggestions or know of other free tools, please comment below.
It this was helpful please like it or share. Join my email list to get more exciting tips during meditation month.
Until next time, happy meditating and be your top-shelf you!