Feeling Stressed? Here’s The Best Meditation Practice To Start With

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by all the choices out there when it comes to meditation—you’re not alone. With so many guided practices promising everything from better sleep to inner peace, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Many people are searching because they feel stressed, disconnected, or sense that something’s missing. I call this soul hunger—and meditation can be one of the most powerful tools for reconnecting with your deeper self and beginning the journey toward what I call authentic happiness.

If you’re looking for a clear, grounded way to begin, I’ve created a free Meditation Essentials Guide that offers the basics of a core practice designed to support your nervous system and reconnect you with your true self. Click here to download the guide. In the guide, you’ll receive an audio recording of a 5- minute practice and a link to my favorite free meditation app.

Why Meditation Feels So Overwhelming Today

When I began meditating several years ago, there were choices, but not like today. With meditation and mindfulness becoming so popular, it’s not surprising that narrowing down the best meditation practice for you is challenging and confusing.

Let me give you an example explaining why it’s SO confusing for people who want to try meditation.

The free meditation app Insight Timer, which I use to time my practices, provides access to thousands of guided meditations. I share a link to the app in the Meditation Essentials Guide.

It provides an array of free choices for every problem or desire.

If you want to deal with anxiety, there’s a meditation. You want to sleep better- there’s a meditation for that. You want to open your chakras- there’s a meditation for that. You want better boundaries- there’s a meditation for that. You want to forgive someone- there’s a meditation for that. You get the idea!

It’s overwhelming for many people who want to establish a practice but don’t know where to begin to “figure it out.” It’s also challenging for those meditating and wanting to settle into a more structured and intentional approach.

Where do you begin to figure out the best meditation practice for your needs?

The short answer to how to pick the best type of meditation depends on your intentions for wanting to meditate in the first place.

The majority of people want to start a meditation practice for one (or more) of the following reasons:

• People want to be healthier and feel more peaceful in dealing with inner stress or soul hunger and its effects on their physical and emotional health.
• To get to know themselves and answer the “big questions” in life: Who am I? What is my purpose? Is this all there is? What brings a deeper meaning to my life? What do I value?
• To get an edge and be at the top of their game. This is often the motivation for people who want to be more productive, focused, and successful in achieving their goals, whether in sports or business.
• For a spiritual connection and to get in touch with an intelligent universe. This is often associated with the desire to foster qualities like forgiveness, compassion, kindness, intuition, creativity, flow, gratitude, surrender, and interconnectedness.

With those intentions in mind, where should you start?

Establish a core meditation practice.

This is why I believe all of us who want the benefits of meditation need to stick with a core practice at some point.

The practice may shift over time, but we need to start somewhere.

Regarding the above intentions, I recommend learning to deal with inner stress or soul hunger by regulating your nervous system. There’s a difference between coping with chronic stress’s effects on our body, mind, and soul and external stressors such as complicated relationships, soul-sapping jobs, financial struggles, etc. Through meditation, we become more physically resilient and better deal with stressors.

Establishing a core practice helps us calm our minds and be less reactive. Developing the ability to connect with our bodies and begin to notice what we’re feeling and how the external world is impacting us.

Over time, this awareness allows us to respond rather than react—to life, emotions, and the people around us.

2 Inner Strengths You Develop Through a Core Practice

The following two intentions are integrated into a core meditation practice that I teach and practice daily:

Relaxation builds our capacity to shift our nervous system from fight-flight-freeze to rest and digest, making us more resilient and less reactive.

Focus enables us to be more present and less distracted, ultimately leading to greater happiness and inner peace.

Starting here is like building the foundation for a house. You start at the ground level and then move up. Without a solid foundation, the house is unstable. What I often see, however, are people who want to bypass the foundation and begin on the top floor.

An example of this would be meditating to open your higher spiritual chakras when your physiology is in a state of fight-fight-freeze. As a result, we’re constantly snapping at our kids or spouses and cannot self-regulate or be kind to ourselves.

So whether you’re a new meditator or are more experienced, it’s helpful to have a core meditation practice that keeps you grounded and calm.

Starting a meditation practice isn’t about fixing yourself—it’s about reconnecting with who you already are. Meditation becomes the first step in transforming inner stress and the deeper soul hunger into what I call authentic happiness—a life of clarity, connection, and inner fulfillment.

If you haven’t already, download the free guide here and take your first step inward.

Ready for more personalized support? Explore my Learn to Meditate options for deeper guidance on building your own practice.

If you feel called, please leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!