Led Meditations

lobster

As some of us need a lead to dharma gold ... we can engage with a routine of daily yoga nidra, led meditations. Somewhere between the breath and the mind/body ...

Here is one to set you up ...

Any led meditations? ... or do you prefer ... nothing but yourself?

Shoshin

Any led meditations? ... or do you prefer ... nothing but yourself?

I prefer to mind my own business

Bunks

A bit of both for me. Sometimes I need a little help ??

Jeroen

I like a guided meditation once in a while, but often they don’t settle me in the same way as does meditation on the breath. The one is about directing the mind, the other about calming the mind altogether.

karasti

I do both. I find guided meditation invaluable for working through and contemplating things When they are well done anyways, as some of them are just..there and have little substance to them. I also use brief guided meditations when I am waiting for a kid or whatever. I quite like Buddify for that, and find the non-American accents calming. I enjoy that they are set up for various situations. I did a guided meditation with my yoga teacher about forgiveness a few weeks ago that has allowed me to release baggage I've carried since childhood. Wonderful.

I think that for me doing non-guided meditations helps me to process the guided ones better. I have to use the guided ones for a purpose rather than a distraction.

Buddhadragon

I like guided meditations occasionally for, let's say, working with the chakras or doing an overall yoga nidra to relax each part of the body.

But in general, I find them distracting and almost as if defeating the purpose of meditation.
In my opinion, the idea is to empty our monkey mind's cup, not finding a substitute pacifier to keep feeding it conceptual peanuts.

Carlita

@lobster said:
As some of us need a lead to dharma gold ... we can engage with a routine of daily yoga nidra, led meditations. Somewhere between the breath and the mind/body ...

Here is one to set you up ...

Any led meditations? ... or do you prefer ... nothing but yourself?

I do anaylitical led meditations. Breathing mostly after but I cant learn to apply The Budddha's teachings if I cant think about them during meditation. It helps cause during the day I can reflect on what I learned about myself and it leds to a better nonguided meditation as a result.

lobster

Thanks everyone.
Both (led and more traditional formal) that many advocate is a good option. One enhancing the other.

So for example
a free course of MBSR/mindfulness meditation
https://palousemindfulness.com/index.html
... and?
Loads here, some as short as a minute. No time to meditate? Pah!
http://headintheclouds.typepad.com/head_in_the_clouds/links-to-free-online-guided-meditations.html
https://m.youtube.com/user/expandcontract

DairyLama

I have found them useful when being introduced to new practices, but a distraction subsequently.

Snakeskin

I've always looked forward to pre-sleep euphoria, but I've never heard of yoga nidra. I checked out Michael Sealey's youtube channel. "Conscious Fantasy Lucid Dreaming", "Deep Trance Mind Travel". That sounds like a fun way to fall asleep.