What is guided mediation and what can it do for you? Guided meditation can be done alone by listening to an audio recording, in a group setting, and can be done by a narrator or teacher. Meditation can be from 10 minutes to an hour.

The goal is to reach a deep restful state to allow the mind and body to relax, and seep into peace. This process is used to train the mind and body to handle and embrace a more serene state. Guided meditation can help people in everyday life and help them deal with stressors.

It goes even further it can help with sleep, motivation, low self-esteem to become a better orator.

Deepak Chopra, M.D. is an expert on this field and through The Copra Center (http://www.chopra.com) helped many people to learn the important of visualization and mediation.

For example let say that anxiety is stealing your joy and life. Guided mediation can help you create ways to overcome these patterns. Being able to center yourself is a skill that anyone can learn, once they have the intention and the experience of what it feels like. Anxious people often shy away from meditation for various reasons. The first thing we think is, "I can't."

“I can’t meditate” is code for feeling too restless to sit still or having too many thoughts while trying to meditate. With a patient teacher, these objections can be overcome. Anyone can meditate, even if the first sessions are short and need to be guided. Being on tranquilizers, which for some anxious people is the only way they can cope, isn’t a block to meditation.”

Yes, being more mindful can happen, but we need to make the step, and also use patience.  Be open to it.

Embracing mediation will with flexibility to deal better with challenges. Mediation helps the mind become more pliable instead of an all-or-nothing perspective. Science has studied meditations effect on the brain, as they found that it increases brain matter and the difference in brain volume. Neuroscientist Sara Lazar at Harvard Medical School has looked at the influence on the brain from the mediation practice.

She explained in a Washington Post interview, there are four areas of the brain that are affected and this can happen by practicing mediation for only eight weeks. They found: “the posterior cingulate, which is involved in mind wandering, and self relevance. The left hippocampus, which assists in learning, cognition, memory and emotional regulation. The temporo parietal junction, or TPJ, which is associated with perspective taking, empathy and compassion. An area of the brain stem called the Pons, where a lot of regulatory neurotransmitters are produced,” she said were influenced by mediation.

 Here is how to prepare for guided mediation.

Try not to eat anything heavy before the practice to avoid being uncomfortable, disrupted and sleepy.

Wear light fighting clothes to help you feel comfortable. Nothing tight. Relax before you start by listening to music, affirmations, or doing light reading. You can do some stretching to prepare the body and transition into meditation, and guided meditation. You can also burn incense, candles, and prepare a room if you’re mediation on your own and not with a group.

You are on the way in becoming more centered and take if from Chopra—it is worth it.

“The highest levels of performance come to people who are centered, intuitive, creative, and reflective - people who know to see a problem as an opportunity,” said Chopra. I've worked all my life on the subject of awareness, whether it's awareness of the body, awareness of the mind, awareness of your emotions, awareness of your relationships, or awareness of your environment. I think the key to transforming your life is to be aware of who you are.”