Last Updated on May 26, 2023 by Lori
Guided meditation is an excellent way for beginners to experience a meditation practice. In fact, it is probably the easiest way to begin, as your guide will walk with you every step of the way.
Meditation can feel intimidating, scary, weird, and/or overwhelming when you are just starting out. What do you do? Where do you do it? How do you sit – or should you lay down? And what about breathing – you’re supposed to breathe a certain way, right?
Why You Should Begin Meditation with a guide
Guided meditation is just that – a meditation session narrated by an experienced guide, who will answer your (unasked) questions as you go through the session.
Yes, even how to breathe.
Because meditation is unfamiliar at this point, it is helpful to have a narrator or guide walk you through the breathwork, visualization techniques, and other steps involved in meditating. It’s all a lot less intimidating when someone is showing you the process as you go through it!
In addition to the important instruction, a voice can offer a point of focus, which is often a challenge for a beginning meditator.
And soothe your mind with their words.
And bring your focus back, when it wanders (which it will).
In the beginning, you will fall into the gaps in between thoughts – after practicing for years, you become the gap.
J. Kleykamp
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I began meditating by watching YouTube.
It takes a while to find a meditation teacher that feels “right” to you, because there are so many methods. So, for you, I’ve collected some of my favorite guided meditations for beginners. I found them all, in their different ways, to be helpful in cementing my regular meditation practice.
I hope you find the same.
Before you watch any of these videos, I do encourage you to read or review my post Meditation Tips for Beginners, particularly if you are brand new to meditation.
And then – please enjoy the videos, and get ready to feel a greater sense of calm, confidence, and purpose in your day!
6 Short Guided Meditations for Beginners
Bonus: Meditation Tips | Meditating with Beginner’s Mind
This adorable, one-and-a-half-minute-long cartoon from Headspace is the perfect little video to watch before you start any meditation.
It explains how to always approach your meditation practice from a beginner’s perspective, with curiosity, and without expectations.
I put this one at the top of the list because even though it’s super-quick, it is a MUST WATCH video before you dive into any of the others.
From the Headspace site: “There’s a bit of curiosity, wonder, and delight that comes from meditating with Beginner’s Mind.
You allow yourself to enjoy the experience without any preconceptions or assumptions, with no idea what you’ll find or what the outcome will be.
It’s a freeing, nonjudgmental exploration of the mind.”
Headspace is my favorite meditation app, and I think you’ll love it, too. I recommend you start with a one-week FREE trial if you are curious.
1. Guided Meditation for Beginners with Deepak Chopra
Start meditating in just three minutes!
That’s all it takes when you watch this video by world-renowned author and alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra.
Actually, this video is more of a short explanation of the meditation process, followed by three minutes of silence while you breathe.
Close your eyes, or better yet, gaze at the pretty clouds floating on the screen.
This peaceful experience lays the groundwork for going deeper into the meditation practice.
Note: I found Mr. Chopra’s voice to be way too low, so you may need to turn up the volume a bit to hear his commentary.
2. 5 Minute Guided Meditation for Beginners | Simple Calming Meditation
Bob Baker, of BobBakerInspiration.com, brings you this perfect five-minute introduction to start a new meditation practice.
With his incredibly soothing voice, Mr. Baker will guide you through simple, easy steps to relax and get quiet.
He will teach you to “Sit, and simply, be.”
3. 10-Minute Guided Meditation for Beginners to Clear Thoughts
Yoga Journal claims to be the number one resource for yoga poses, sequences, meditation, and the lifestyle that surrounds it. Given that their Youtube channel has 94.7K subscribers, I’m inclined to believe it.
This is my favorite of all of the videos collected here.
I feel like Jessamyn Stanley is a friend and confidant as she lets us in on a secret we’ve all been wondering about: finding ultimate peace and calm does not exist!
Instead of chasing a state of being that is impossible to reach, she advocates learning to focus on listening to those thoughts and allowing them to be there.
As you learn to accept the chatter, it will gradually clear and you’ll find a calm and peaceful state.
Try this 10-minute meditation for beginners and I guarantee you’ll be back for more.
4. Back To Basics Guided Meditation: For Beginners & Returning Meditation Users
At fifteen minutes, this is the longest video in the bunch. And actually, fifteen minutes can be a really long time to meditate when you are just starting out.
Somehow, the time zips by when you are listening to the soothing narration (you gotta love an Australian accent!) of this video, combined with the music and water in the background.
It’s peaceful enough to take you out of your immediate space and into a calmer, more self-aware zone.
Jason Stephenson (best-selling author and the founder of Relax Me Online Australia) emphasizes that in meditation, as in life, everyone’s personal experience is different.
The focus here is on letting go of preconceived notions about meditation and focusing on physical awareness in the present.
5. 5-Minute Meditation You Can Do Anywhere
Returning to shorter videos, John Davisi of JohnDavisi.com takes us on a five-minute journey into meditation that can be done anywhere, anytime.
This is the one to watch if you just need a quick break at your desk during a stressful day.
It’s a real-world meditation designed to reset your day in a positive way.
6. 5-Minute Mantra Meditation for Beginners – Easy Guided Meditation
This quick meditation presented by Yoga with Kassandra takes a slightly different approach in her guided meditation for beginners.
This practice makes use of a mantra.
A mantra is a short phrase which is consistently repeated in order to give your brain something more to focus on than just a voice.
Helpful for anyone, but especially good for those who are feeling particularly restless.
Your mind is your instrument. Learn to be its master and not its slave.
Remez Sasson
Read More About Meditation:
- How to Start a Meditation Practice (for Women Over Fifty)
- 6 Essential Tips You Need to Know About Meditation, For Absolute Beginners
- Yes, Meditation Really Does Make You Happier: How You Can Start Today
- All the Amazing Ways Meditation Can Benefit Women at Midlife
- The Best Crystals for Midlife Women to Use in Meditation
Final Thoughts on 6 Short Guided Meditations for Beginners
There are so many guided meditations available on Youtube, that it’s a snap to get started in a practice. However, it is good for beginners to have a practice that is focused on their needs as they learn about the nature of meditation and how they respond in their own bodies and minds.
Everyone has a unique response to meditation.
These particular videos emphasize different methods, narrator voices, and background sounds. I hope you will try them all and see which one (or ones) speak to you in your beginner practice.
