12/23/2016 by Kori Burkholder

A Guided Meditation Class in NYC with Anita Celeste at Empress.One & VitaminR

Anita Celeste sets the scene. Lights are dim, 12 chairs in a circle, 12 candles lit up in the center, an array of tarot cards on the table, and a feeling of calmness.

Each person presents giving themselves the gift of 1 hour to relax, retreat and go within to find peace from the chaos of their lives and the New York City holiday season.

Celia Lapin, VitaminR’s Essential Oils expert and attendee, shared afterward, "I loved the meditation. It helped me feel more present and grounded. I loved the ambiance it created in the room. Calm, serene, and trusting.

My Journey with Guided Meditation

I met Anita Celeste, the class facilitator, a few years back. A friend told me about her work because it seemed aligned with what I was doing with Inspirality. She offered a Creative Guided Meditation Journey that incorporated art and writing, which appealed to me! The session became the gateway to my first guided meditation experience.

Her process was transformational at a time when I was professionally burnt out and unfulfilled. I knew I needed to get quiet and go within to find the answers and figure out what was next.

Through the meditation experience, I gained personal insights and wisdom and discovered parts of myself that I still check-in and consult with today. It made me realize that meditation was a way to organically find answers to questions.

Even though my practice isn’t always consistent, I tend to meditate when I’m creating something new — whether it be asking for a raise or promotion, changing careers, or starting a business.

I’ve learned getting quiet is key because there are always going to be outside challenges, forks in the road, confusion, and disappointments that come up, but taking the time to get quiet and go within to find the answers is one tool to use to forge ahead. Because within that space of quietness, we can find the answers.

What is Guided Meditation?

Guided meditation is simply meditation with a guide, either in a class setting or an audio guide. Most meditations have themes that focus on different aspects of your life, like self-confidence, relief from anxiety, positive thinking, personal empowerment, goal setting, etc., each designed to improve different aspects of your life.

Typically, your meditation guide will ask you to sit comfortably or lie down. You’ll then tune into your guide’s voice as they lead you through a series of calming visualizations. As the meditation progresses, you’ll begin to gradually relax, your inner chatter starts to calm down, stress melts away, and your mind becomes clearer.

While in this relaxed state, your subconscious mind opens up to more positive suggestions, which is when your guide takes you deeper into an inner exploration. Within this space, you can get present new personal insights that lead to fresh perspectives and inspiration.

How does Guided Meditation Help?

As busy New Yorkers, we always have 10,000 things going on at once – job, family, friends, finances, health – joining in on a Guided Meditation (in person or audio) is an easy way to get yourself into a state of deep relaxation and quiet down the inner chatter. Other positive effects of Guided Meditation are:

De-stresses your mind and body
Heightens your appreciation of life
Helps to manage and prevent anxiety (here & here)
Increases concentration and creativity

Consistent Guided Meditation practice can lead you to positive personal changes, as mentioned above. Participants state that after experiencing a guided meditation, they feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and relaxed.

Another opportunity to get quiet and learn how to meditate and breathe will be VitaminR‘s event called Breathing Back to Life with Kathleen Booker on January 3rd, 2017. RSVP here.

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