We’re all spending more time than ever at home - but your wellness habits can keep going strong with virtual guided meditation on the best meditation apps. Being far from the meditation studio doesn’t hinder your ability to meditate. In fact, meditating at home can be an incredible and enriching experience! Here’s how to turn your home into a meditation studio and create a wellness routine you’ll love.
How To Create A Home Virtual Guided Meditation Routine With Meditation Apps
Meditate first thing in the morning.
Unplug has been called one of the best meditation apps, and we credit this in part to a philosophy we teach called “rise, click, meditate.” The premise is simple: meditate as soon as you wake up, before doing anything else. You can do this before even getting out of bed! Meditation coach davidji calls it beditation. When you wake up, open the Unplug meditation app and choose a virtual guided meditation from our library. You can even set an intention with the meditation to set the tone for your day and visualize it. Before your feet have even hit the floor, you’ve started your day with purpose and focus.
Stream your meditations anywhere.
Any screen in your home can become your virtual guided meditation studio, so don’t feel like you have to limit yourself. Unplug’s virtual guided meditation library and virtual guided meditation livestreams are available on Apple TV, so your living room can quickly become a place of calm. If it’s hard to make home meditation a habit, you can try the Unplug 30-day meditation challenge to get yourself into a routine.
Have a scheduled time.
Schedule your virtual guided meditation for the same time every day so they become a regular part of your routine. As “rise, click, meditate” indicates, morning is an easy time for most people to fit in meditation. But if morning doesn’t work for you, that’s fine too! It doesn’t matter when you meditate, as long as it works for you and fits into your life. If you’re a parent, maybe you like to meditate after the morning rush of waking up the kids. If you’re a creative, maybe you like to do a midday meditation to keep your ideas flowing. Maybe you prefer meditating at the end of the workday to refresh your tired mind. Anytime is fine, what matters is that you meditate every day!
Be open to trying new modalities.
You can expand your practice by implementing new virtual guided meditation modalities, like sound baths, breathwork, or visualization. You can also incorporate other mindfulness-centered activities, like yoga, before or after your meditation session. This is a great opportunity to bring your family into your practice! If there’s a certain modality your kids enjoy, encourage them to try it and join in on the fun, and tune into the Unplug kids meditations.
Make it a ritual.
Do the same habits before every virtual guided meditation session to signal to your brain that it’s meditation time. Science suggests that consistent rituals can help you get into the “zone” for whatever it is you’re about to do. This is especially helpful if your home is also standing in as an office, sleeping space, playroom, and restaurant, as it is for most of us these days - show your brain that you are now entering the meditation studio aspect of the house. Your ritual could be any number of things: sitting on a specific chair, lighting a candle, diffusing an essential oil, scrawling out a “brain dump” of all the busy thoughts in your mind, or even putting on a specific cardigan.
Consider taking your practice to the next level.
If you want to truly optimize your virtual guided meditation practice from home, consider participating in online meditation teacher training remotely. You can take part in Unplug’s virtual meditation teacher training program from your laptop. The technique and tools you’ll learn in online meditation teacher training can teach you how to lead a guided meditation remotely - or it simply amp up your own experience of your personal virtual guided meditation routine.
When in doubt, choose gratitude.
Let’s be honest: working from home while also living at home (and for many of us, schooling at home along with it) can be overwhelming. Home is a sanctuary, so it’s often surprising to people that spending so much time there can turn our minds into a stressed-out mess and make us forget what we’re supposed to be doing when. We know that mindfulness can help ease some of this, but in the moment, even sticking to our practice can feel like too much. (Trust, though: taking time for meditation actually will actually give you more time.)
When you’re hitting a wall of overwhelm, take a few minutes to center yourself with a quick gratitude meditation. Find a quiet spot, close your eyes, and visualize three people or things you’re grateful for. They can be anything, from the big things to the little ones. And that’s it! Those quick few moments spent focusing on what’s good in your life can quickly bring you back into a centered, positive place to take on the rest of your busy day at home.