Spiritual Exercises: Guided meditation

Information on meditating to enrich your life and relax, tips on finding peace through some simple techniques.

Life is hectic. I work at home now as a freelance writer, which I thought would be less stressful than teaching school. The truth is what ever we do, even when we love our jobs, we are under stress. Everything moves too fast these days and we become like hamsters rolling in the wheel of life. When you feel this stress it is time to take a meditation break.

Guided imagery is a good relaxation technique for those who have experienced meditation. It is the next step to take you from the fully aware alpha state deep into the beta and beyond.

It requires a place, a guided imagery tape, and candles. It is also good to have a journal ready as you may wish to write in it after the meditation. The place can be any where in your home you can be alone. Close the door. Light the candle. The candle reminds of us God’s light and the peace He wants for us. It is also a focal point.

Guided imagery tapes for meditation are sold at leading book stores as well as alternative book stores, and

You will need a tape recorder and a quiet room. If you have inspirational, lilting music put this on while you tape. You don’t want rock or anything rousing. The music should be quiet enough to be in the background without interfering, but enhancing your guided imagery. Use a soft voice as you record your own message to yourself.

Here is what works for me. Close your eyes, imagine you are at the beach. It is a sunny day. The sand is soft and inviting. The ocean waves lap gently against the sand. You look around and see that you are in a private cover surrounded by palm trees. You sit down on the sand and look out to the ocean. Breath in, breath out. Imagine now a woman is walking towards you. She is in a long, flowing dress with a crown of flowers around her head. You recognize her. She is (insert your own)a special woman from your past. She sits next to you. “What is it you need?” she asks in a soft voice.

Breathe in, breath out. Let your mind relax. You are happy to be sitting with this woman. She is someone you love and trust. You think about her question and give your answer in your mind. She nods and smiles at you. She speaks to your mind in silent words. I give you what you ask.

Remain in this peaceful state a little longer. Enjoy the beauty of nature and the special woman beside you. When you are ready open your eyes. Say out loud what you asked for. Believe you have received it.

It helps if you write down your answer in a journal and what it means to you. You can repeat this same exercise everyday or whenever you need to feel relaxed and peaceful. You can ask for what ever you need and know you will receive the answer.