5 Easy Ways to Meditate Without Guidance & Feel Calm

Guided meditations aren’t for everyone

What if you want to meditate without guidance?

What if you find most guided meditation vocals annoying?

Or what if you speak a language other than English? This is especially difficult when most meditation apps use native English speakers.

It can be hard to find inclusive meditation options.

Thankfully there are alternatives to guided meditations.

So you can still meditate without guidance, improve your mental health & deepen your calm.

5 ways to meditate without guidance

1. Listen to meditones®

Meditones work without you having to do a thing. Which means you can gain all the benefits of deep meditation, without any effort.

Meditones are binaural beats combined with beautiful ambient music which guides your brain into calm. Effortlessly.

You just listen with headphones and the meditones effect will begin.

This makes meditones perfect for:

• beginners
• relieving pain
• when you’re too tired to meditate
• when you’re feeling distressed or overstimulated
• autistic, ADHD & other neurodivergent people who may struggle with traditional meditation

Meditones are an easy tool to help you meditate without guidance.

Plus, you can use all the techniques below as you listen to deepen your calm.

Access a growing library of meditones with the Restful app. Download for free on Google Play or the App Store today!

2. Focus on the exhale

Taking deep breaths is a fantastic way to meditate without guidance. It focuses your mind and relaxes your body.

Breathwork can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Which helps calm you down.

A simple breathing technique is called 2-1 Breathing. With this breath, you focus on exhaling for twice as long as you inhale.

To begin 2-1 Breathing, inhale for a count of 2 and exhale for a count of 4.

Or you could simply extend your exhale. There’s no need to keep count.

Just take a big breath in, puff out your cheeks, and slowly exhale. As you breathe out, notice your muscles begin to relax and release tension.

You can repeat these breathing techniques for as long as you need.

3. Body Scan Meditation

Body scanning helps you release tension you might not realise you’re holding. By scanning from feet to head, you bring awareness to each part of your body. Allowing you to let go and relax.

To start a body scan:

1. bring your attention to your feet
2. notice any sensations present in your feet
3. pay attention to areas of tension or stiffness
4. pay attention to areas that feel calm or neutral
5. breathe deeply and relax your feet

Repeat this process as you move up through your

• legs
• hips
• torso
• hands
• arms
• neck
• face and head

Focus on the breath to release any pain, tension or intense emotions. And notice any comfortable parts too. 

By letting tension go, you bring rest to your mind and body.

4. Repeat your own calming phrase

Mantras, affirmations or calm phrases can help to focus the mind. But you don’t need to have a special mantra given to you by a teacher. You can choose a phrase that’s calming to you.

Simple statements such as “I am safe”, or “Here Now” are perfect examples.

You can speak them out loud, or quietly repeat them in your mind.

You could even pair the phrase with your breath. For example, inhale the word ‘Here’ and exhale the word ‘Now’.

It’s normal to lose attention during meditation. Any time you notice your mind wandering, just start your calm phrase again.

5. Create an emotion

You know how books, films & music can make you feel things? That’s because your brain has trouble discerning reality and fantasy.

So you can create an emotion just by focusing on the feeling.

You could create joy, peace or even euphoria. Your brain won’t know the difference between spontaneous emotion and one you created on purpose.

How do you want to feel? Choose the positive emotion you want to create.

Then try to recall how that emotion feels. What sensations arise? Do your eyes feel brighter when you feel euphoric? Or do your shoulders feel deliciously heavy when you feel calm

When you start to feel your chose emotion, breathe deeply to amplify that feeling. How strong can you make it? How deep can you go into your emotion?

Ride the waves and enjoy each moment.

Takeaway

You don’t need to listen to guided meditations to meditate. There are many simple ways to meditate without guidance.

And many of these practices can be done quietly, anywhere, anytime. Giving you the freedom to practice calm whenever you need.

Meditate without guidance with the Restful app. Download for free on Google Play or the App Store today!