Are you looking for some tips when it comes to recording and delivering your guided meditations? If so, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re interested in teaching meditation, these tips will help you to create, record, and present your guided meditations.
Simply follow these tips to start creating your own guided meditations.
1: The Beginning of a Meditation
When you’re crafting your meditation, be aware that there is a beginning, middle and an end.
Start with a short and sweet intro. 3 minutes or less is generally a good amount of time. You can begin by introducing yourself. In a simple sentence, state your name and who you are.
At the start of your meditation briefly describe your meditation and what the benefits of this practice are. As you share the benefits it’s important to think about what the purpose of your meditation is and who it’s for.
When creating your own guided meditation it is important to have a sense of structure.
Let people know what the structure of the meditation will be and what they can generally expect. For example, you could let the listener know you are going to begin with a body scan, and then move into guided visualization to promote further relaxation.
I also suggest telling people how long they will meditate for. People generally like to know this in advance. Give them a heads up and let them know they will be meditating for 20 minutes. This will help them relax even more because they know what to expect and how much time they have.
So the beginning section can include:
- A brief intro of yourself
- The meditation, structure and what it’s for
- 1 or 2 Benefits
- Length of meditation
As soon as you complete that beginning section, you can then move into the heart of the session.
2: Your guided practice
When creating a guided meditation, include simple cues. You don’t have to use a lot of flowery language. You can use simple sentences as this helps the brain to relax.
Remember to use pauses and silence between your cues. If you tell them to “relax their shoulders,” give them an opportunity to do this before moving onto your next cue. Space and silence allow for depth and receptivity.
When guiding a meditation, it’s also important to sound fresh, even if you’re reading from a script. Try and imagine you are reading to a good friend who is very receptive. Talking to someone one-on-one has a much better sound and feel that talking into a microphone. When you talk, imagine yourself connecting with this person and gently guiding them, and remember to smile.
Speaking to that one person who is going to sincerely benefit from your guided practice can help your sessions sound much more personalized. Smiling while you are talking also helps you have a friendlier tone.
If you’re reading a script, try and speak with some kind of emotional connection. This may involve moving your hands, connecting with your heart energy or just imagining yourself talking to someone one on one in a personal session.
Keep the words fresh and take your time. If you rush through a session it will be painfully obvious and it won’t be relaxing.
If you’re ever stuck and you don’t know what to say, just be silent. Give the listener time to reflect while you ground and recenter yourself.
As you speak, speak from your heart and really connect with the listener.
You can also close your meditation with a beautiful sound, such as a chime or some Zen music. The best tip is to make sure you personalize your sessions so they are uniquely yours, even if that means adding some kind of personalized touch.
3: A good microphone
The most important thing to consider when creating your own guided meditation is the microphone. If you aren’t working with a good quality microphone, it will be obvious to the listener.
When you invest in a good microphone, the quality of the sound and the production value can really affect the guided meditation session. A great microphone to consider is the Blue Yeti microphone.
This affordable microphone has a USB connection that can connect directly into your computers USB port. It also has a clear, crisp sound.
It’s also important to choose a quiet space, such as a home meditation space, in which to record and you may even want to consider some kind of sound isolation such as foam panels or a portable sound isolation stand which can be purchased on Amazon. You will also need a good pair of headphones to ensure that there are no erroneous sounds in your recording before you finalize it.
5: More Helpful Recording Tips
The most important thing you can do to make your listener comfortable is to let them know why you’re sharing this meditation with them and how they can benefit.
For example, you might say something like:
“When you slow your breathing down, it sends a powerful message to the brain to slow down and relax. This, in turn, initiates the relaxation response.”
Be sure to help your listener transition out of the relaxation state by providing some kind of ending. For example, you could say something like:
“You can now take this time to gently open your eyes, and become aware of your surroundings. You can gently wiggle your fingers and toes.”
You could also tell the listener the guided meditation is now complete by saying something like “namaste.”
Other things you could relay to the listener at the end of the meditation could be to tell them they can take this new sense of peace with them throughout their day and into the night.
5 Key Components
- Start with a quality microphone like a Blue Yeti and make sure you have a quiet space to record.
- Have a proper beginning, middle and ending.
- Let the listener know the key benefits of the session.
- Give them an idea of how long they will be meditating.
- Smile while you are speaking to them and act as if you are talking with a good friend.
It’s so important to think about these key components before you sit dow to create your own guided meditations. Take the time to read through your script before you record. It will give you practice and allow you to identify areas where you might get stuck.
If you enjoyed this article, you may be interested in learning about our 300-hour Meditation Coach Certification, LIBERATE, where we go in-depth about how to facilitate, record and distribute your guided meditations.
Namaste,
Sura
Paul Harrison BSc is a qualified meditation teacher who believes in genuine, authentic meditation. He has more than 15 years experience in teaching meditation and mindfulness both to individuals and to corporations and is the author of four books on meditation. He has been featured in Psychology Today, Breathe Magazine, Healthline, Psych Central and Lion’s Roar.
Paul studied meditation in beautiful Oxford, UK, and Hamilton Ontario Canada, and earned his degree at Staffordshire University.
Paul’s biggest inspirations include Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat Zinn, and Jack Kornfield.
“My goal is to provide the most authentic meditation sessions so you can harness the power of your own mind for personal transformation” – Paul Harrison