Free Online Guided Meditations

Free online guided meditations are becoming increasingly popular. At the base of this page there is a growing collection of text and audio files to explore.

These range from instructions for traditional meditation practices such as, ‘metta’, (which is a set of instructions to be practised during meditation which focus the meditator on positive thoughts and feelings of gratitude and well being towards the meditator first and other people second), to intricate visualisations in which the elements metaphorically represent different aspects of the meditator’s personality and life situation which are then therapeutically rearranged.

This latter category of so called ‘meditation’ has much in common with hypnotic trancework, and in this area of guided meditation there is much overlap between meditation and trance.

Concentrative meditation and hypnotic trance appear to have much in common, in terms of brain wave patterns. I am not sure that trying to make a clear distinction between the two is useful, although there are some points that are worth mentioning.

Firstly, concentrative meditation usually exists within a tradition of practice which actually means that the experiences a meditator goes through are shaped by that tradition.

For example, a Pure Land Buddhist, one pointedly concentrating on chanting the Buddha’s name, Amitabha, will typically have insights that relate to that tradition rather than an insight or experience from, say, the Sufi tradition (and vice versa).

This appears to me a very similar matter to a hypnotherpist guiding a client through a visualisation where the elements are chosen to be representative of the client’s life and the aim of the hypnotherapist is to help the client reach certain pre determined, (by the therapist), experiences.

In my opinion, concentrative meditation and hypnosis work directly with the elements of consciousness in order to make useful changes. There is more of a difference between concentrative meditation and hypnosis, on the one hand, and mindfulness meditation on the other.

The purpose of the Free Online Guided Meditations page is to give you the opportunity to explore the techniques below and take from them what is useful to you, in your unique situation.

Please feel free to explore the resources below. They are under construction and will gradually accumulate. You can also go to this page for free audio meditation files

This free online guided meditation comes from the Theravada Buddhist tradition. It focuses on cultivating a specific empowering feeling. Traditionally, metta is used to deal with ill will, that is when we feel resentful or angry with ourselves or others, or feel that things should be different...

In my opinion this is a structured approach to developing an affective reserve that can be drawn on during times of trouble. This is similar to putting savings into the bank for a rainy day! Metta is a way of disconnecting the triggers that overwhelm us and resting, or perhaps enduring, in a more positive and resourceful state.

Free Online Guided Meditations : Instructions for metta (kindness) practice

Metta begins with yourself. Sit comfortably and breathe in and out of the heart area. To begin with this can be enough. Just practice this and relax more and more into the breath in the chest/heart region until it subjectively feels like you are breathing in and out from here.

This can take some time to become comfortable. There is no need to force the breath to be anything special. Whether long or short, allow the breath to be whatever it is and nurture it, in and out at the heart.

When you are confident with this level of practice add the affirmation, “May I be well” on the in breath, and “May I be happy” on the out breath.

Notice what thoughts and feelings arise, let them go and keep breathing and repeating the words silently, with the breath. This can evoke quite strong feelings. Let them pass and keep breathing. Old conditioning can be quite tenacious.

The feeling is that when you breath in and repeat, ‘may I be happy’, you are carefully receiving a gift. The feeling when you are breathing out and repeating, ‘may I be well’, you are carefully offering a gift. This leads to a refined quality of attention that will build your practice.

When you are comfortable with this stage of metta practice, you can begin to extend the ‘gift’ to your closest friends and family. It is just the same. Breath in and breath out and repeat, ‘May (name) be well, may (name) be happy.

These two steps are fairly simple. Next you extend the affirmation to someone who you are neutral to and the next step is to extend the feelings and the affirmations to someone you find difficult!

Remember, all we have is our own responses to people and events. If you can cultivate a positive feelings for difficult people and situations, you will be able to respond differently and may be able to make positive changes in your environment, or at least survive better!The final step is to imagine a bubble of the positive feelings going out to ‘all beings’.

This is the whole process. To begin with it is enough to just wish yourself well. You are in a much better position to help yourself and others if you have this ‘affective reserve’, a bank account of emotional stamina to draw on. This is one way meditation can help you build up your resources.

If you want to try this practice, just begin with a few minutes. The breathing pattern can bring up uncomfortable feelings and it takes time to go through this stage so that you can gradually generate your reserve.

Karuna(compassion)guided meditation

Free Online Guided Meditations : Instructions for karuna (compassion)practice

Compassion has a different feel to it. Karuna begins with an empathetic appreciation of someone's pain. For example, one time I felt quite sad watching my son, lost and lonely when no one would play with him, day after day. From that feeling of empathetic sadness came the wish that he was free of that hurt.

Thus, evoking the feeling of kindness comes as a result of feeling someones' pain. Having touched the pain and formulated the wish that they be free of suffering, we offer that wish through the breath.

This is a good counterbalance to use when we are sad and despairing. We can practice kindness to ourselves in the same way. Just breathing in and out with that feeling of kindness. We can even practice by offering the feeling of kindness to the feeling of sadness. It sounds more complicated than it is. You feel where the sadness (for example) is in your body and then consciously breath the feeling of kindness into the parts of the body where the sadness is being held and expressed.

Mudita (sympathetic joy)guided meditation

Free Online Guided Meditations : Instructions for Mudita (sympathetic joy)practice

Mudita is for working with envy and jealousy. It is so common to hear about someone else who experiences good fortune and feel that, 'I wish I had that'. This is really unnecessary suffering, isn't it. Part of us thinks we should be happy for the person and feels guilty that we are a bit resentful that we are not enjoying similar good fortune.

Sometimes it can be as simple as seeing a nice car go by and thinking in envy, 'it's not fair!'

The meditation here is to bring to mind a time when we were happyfor someone. this is easy if you have children and just remember a time when your child had or did something they were proud of. This brings a very good feeling of joy!

Now when we notice that we are experiencing envy, we can meet the feeling with this joy. It takes practice but is possible and a valuable practice.

Then one day, you hear people talking about a colleague who has just got a promotion and you really hear the jealousy. 'Well it's all right for some!' you hear, and you react differently. you feel glad for the person and their gain does not diminish you.

Upekkha (equanimity)guided meditation

Free Online Guided Meditations : Instructions for Upekkha(equanimity)practice

"...we can have a tremendous desire for beings to be well - yet they are not well...We wish ourselves and others well, putting ourselves through many, often dramatic, efforts in pursuit of well - being. despite our efforts, though, we sometimes find ourselves in a complete mess."

(Ajahn Munindo, Dhamma talk, We Have What We Need)

More Free Online Guided Meditation Instructions coming soon. Free Online Guided Meditations are for your information and for you to explore. I suggest one core practice, for example mindfulness together with auxiliary practices such as metta, as and when needed.