Best Meditation Classes near Burbank, CA

Guided Meditation Versus Unguided Self-Meditation I often have students come to me, who have relied and limited their meditation experience to recorded GUIDED meditations, yet find little or no long-term satisfaction with the results, especially when they hear about the many benefits of meditation that are touted in all the published research and studies. As an experienced meditator and mindfulness teacher, (and how I specifically teach Mindfulness Meditation at the Meditation Tree) I reply in the following manner: Guided meditations can serve them well inasmuch as they provide a temporary escape (and a focus away) from some kinds of emotional turmoil in their lives. And, as a result, they may experience some degree of relaxation and calmness and find some new healthy perspectives to reflect upon. However, in many cases, these benefits are short lived. As soon as they return to their daily routine and are required to manage their constant daily challenges, they are apt to fall back into the emotional thoughts and feelings (stress, anxiety, self-doubt, etc.) that can easily lead them astray and that can be detrimental to their well-being. Guided meditations often “miss the mark” when it comes to learning how to change our self-defeating thought patterns and habits of the mind for the long term. Many find guided meditations easy because they may be short, easy to understand and are readily available via the internet and apps.