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Guided meditations are one of the best ways to get started. Just like a class, an experienced meditator will walk you through it and tell you what you should be doing. Before you know it\u00a0you’ll remember the instructions and will be able to meditate without a guide. If you’ve already tried meditation but found it didn’t quite click with you, I’d suggest\u00a0trying different styles or techniques – I’ve tried to include a variety in this list. If you’re not using guided meditations and are finding it hard to maintain focus during your sit, they’ll help in gathering your attention.<\/p>\n
So, I’ve scoured the web and tried a host of different meditations from different resources, made this list of the best ones, free of course. For beginners and ease of trial I’ve put a direct link in green<\/span><\/span> to a short meditation from each resource so that you can dive right in.<\/p>\n Stream\/download: Yes\/Ye<\/em>s<\/em> Recommended meditations for beginners:<\/strong> Stream\/download: Yes\/No<\/em><\/p>\n Recommended meditation for beginners:<\/strong> Tara Brach has a massive selection of meditations. She adds a new meditation each week and for ease of use you can subscribe to her podcast channel<\/a> and access them that way. She also has a page on her site specifically for those new to meditation<\/a> where you can find shorter basic meditations – a fantastic place to start – as well as some talks and a lovely letter welcoming you to the practice of meditation!<\/p>\n Stream\/download: Yes\/Yes<\/em> Recommended meditation for beginners:<\/strong> As well as meditation and mindfulness, this UK-based organisation also has materials\u00a0on topics such as relationships, nutrition, and exercise. If you’re only after meditations and mindfulness, you’ll\u00a0find most of the stuff on this part of their soundcloud page<\/a>,\u00a0but you’ll have to poke around their podcasts page<\/a> to find everything. If you like a British accent, give them a go.<\/p>\n Stream\/download: Yes\/Yes (from soundcloud)<\/em><\/p>\n Sample meditation:<\/strong>\n
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UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Centre<\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n
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<\/a>A great place for beginners to start, the site has a few different meditations ranging from 3-20 minutes, all of them straightforward and easy to follow. You can stream the tracks direct from the site or download them for later use. All of them are by the same woman so if you’d prefer a male voice or a different accent, perhaps\u00a0try one of the others (if you’d like a British accent – scroll down to Mental Health Foundation).<\/p>\n
\nPodcast in iTunes store<\/a><\/p>\n
\nBody scan meditation [3 mins]<\/a><\/span>
\n Breathing meditation [5 mins]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nThe Free Mindfulness Project<\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n
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<\/a>The Free Mindfulness Project has a wider variety than UCLA in a selection of different types of meditation ranging between 3 and 45 minutes, they have meditations with a few different teachers, so you should be able to find someone with a style that you like. The only downside is that you can’t stream the tracks directly from the site, they need to be downloaded first and then played.<\/p>\n
\nBreathing w\/ Peter Morgan [3 mins] – Direct download link<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nTara Brach<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n
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\nPodcast in iTunes store<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
\nTen-Minute Basic Meditation Practice (10 mins)<\/a><\/span>
\nA short introductory meditation with a body scan, bringing focus to the breath, sounds, then resting in awareness. Click <\/span>here<\/a> for direct download.<\/span><\/p>\nMental Health Foundation<\/span><\/a>
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\nMindfulness Practice Exercise [10 mins]<\/a>
\n<\/span>This relaxation exercise is narrated by mindfulness expert, Professor Mark Williams, and features a series of breathing and visualisation techniques.\u00a0Direct download link<\/a>
\n[soundcloud url=”https:\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/17058507″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” \/]<\/p>\nF*ck That: An Honest Meditation<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n