Guided meditation is one of the best tools we can use when it comes to managing stress and anxiety and building a habit of mindfulness and awareness. Meditation is the mental practice of training one’s attention and awareness in order to better address negative thoughts and feelings.
Meditation can improve both mental and physical health by supporting self-regulation, mitigating stress, improving focus, and facilitating calmness.
If you’re new to meditation, guided meditations are a great place to start. Guided meditations are led by a teacher or narrator who walks you through the process. There are many audio- and video-based guided meditation apps and resources that are readily available. Here are a few you can explore for yourself as you dive into the world of guided meditation:
Headspace
What It Is:
Headspace provides a variety of guided meditations, animations, articles, videos, and other resources on their website and app. Headspace offers user-friendly, clean aesthetics and great content for beginners.
How Much It Costs:
$12.99 monthly or $69.99 yearly ($5.83/month)
Calm
What It Is:
Calm is an app focused on supporting sleep and relaxation through meditation. Calm also hosts a variety of other features to support your overall well-being, including audio programs, exclusive music, mindful movement video tutorials, and more.
How Much It Costs:
$69.99 yearly or $399.99 for life.
Calm also has a few free resources available.
Tara Brach
What It Is:
Dr. Brach blends Western psychology and Eastern spiritual practices. Her website hosts an extensive log of guided meditations, lectures and teachings, and online courses.
How Much It Costs:
Guided meditation videos, along with many lectures, are free.
Online courses vary in cost.
The Honest Guys
What It Is:
This Youtube channel provides an extensive catalog of different types of guided meditation videos. Check out their playlists to discover different styles to try.
How Much It Costs:
Free on Youtube.
Aura
What it Is:
Aura is a personalized wellness app that provides wellness tracks and meditation resources.
How Much It Costs:
$59.99 yearly
What other meditation apps do you recommend?
Share in the comments below!
Kevin Naruse is the Communications Director at Painted Brain, and (a contributor to and) the chief editor of Painted Brain News.