Mindfulness & Guided Meditation 

Where do you begin?

If you’re just wandering into the world of guided meditations or using a meditation app, it can be intimidating. So many things to choose from, where do you start and how does this work? I often assign Leaves on a Stream, a 6 1/2-minute guided meditation of floating leaves, to those battling unwanted thoughts or anxiety; listening to it a few times to understand it all, before you use it as a meditation can lower anxiety or uncertainty about what to expect.

Then, try listening to it once a day; you can pick morning or evening, even bedtime, whichever works best with your schedule. You can use it to sort out your thoughts before journaling or sleep. When you are ready move to twice daily for 3-4 weeks. Then, add scents. Choose a fragrance (incense, scented oil, or candle) and use the same one every time you meditate. The calm effects will then transfer to include the scent. After a few weeks with the scent, you can carry it with you. An incense stick, a scented oil, a perfume will bring back the calmed emotional feeling.

I had a reason for suggesting the Leaves on a Stream meditation. In this meditation, you will imagine yourself seated beside a stream, with sunlight filtering through the trees and a gentle breeze causing leaves to fall into the water and drift away. Write your thoughts on leaves and let them drift away. It focuses on observing your thoughts without getting carried away by them. You’ll feel the gap between a thought emerging and your subsequent emotional and behavioral responses to it. Understanding that while thoughts trigger emotions, how you behave in response is completely up to you.

It's normal for your mind to wander during meditation; just refocus when it happens. It's not failing or performing poorly, it's functioning as intended. Our brains are naturally distractible, thus the process of refocusing in meditation enhances the practice. You're building focus and concentration by recognizing distractions and skillfully returning your attention to the task at hand. Those with attention, focus, and concentration problems will especially benefit from this skill set, though it helps everyone. You can improve your ability to recognize mind-wandering and redirect your focus.

Leaves on a Stream is available at all three places below. On Aura, it is Watching the Leaves Float By.