I love finding new instructor-led workouts on YouTube, from Pilates to cycling, but I’m also aware that you should strive to strengthen your mind just as much as your body. Typically, when I want to take a guided meditation, I use the Peloton app, since I am already paying $44 a month for it and I appreciate the instructors’ no-nonsense approach. But if you’re not a Peloton diehard or you want something different, try a few of these free guided meditations on YouTube.
Michael Sealey
With his calming Aussie accent and massive backlog of videos, Michael Sealey is a solid option here—and two million subscribers agree. While his videos are all branded as “hypnosis” (though he has “guided meditation” in his About section), he still delivers what classic meditation clips do: soothing suggestions for calming your mind and focusing your thoughts.
Many of his offerings center on preparing to sleep, but you can find some great meditations for calming anxiety, detaching from over-thinking, and more. Sealey’s work is best suited for bedtime as opposed to, say, commuting or when you need a quick break at the office. In fact, his videos start with the disclaimer that you shouldn’t listen to him when you’re operating a vehicle.
The Honest Guys
I appreciate something about the Honest Guys: Their videos begin, well, honestly, with a disclaimer that they’re not in any way supposed to stand in for any actual medical professional. That’s important: While you can find a lot of relaxation on YouTube, you shouldn’t ever actually rely on these kinds of videos for more substantial matters like treatment of depression, weight loss, or anything remotely medical.
Fortunately, the Honest Guys offer up plenty of calming, enjoyable content without purporting to be able to do any of that stuff. To their over one million subscribers, they provide medications centered on helping listeners feel strong, confident, or simply ready for a deep sleep. I like that the clips include clear guidance on which body parts to focus on and how to position the body, too, in a way that is reminiscent of the Peloton meditations I enjoy.
Headspace
Headspace is best known as a paid app that charges $70 per year for you to access meditations, sleep sounds, and wellness tips, but like any smart company, it also has some free samples available on YouTube—and the selection is surprisingly robust.
Do you need a 10-minute meditation specifically to “calm unemployment fears?” What about one just for dealing with grief and injustice? Headspace’s YouTube channel, to which over 800,000 people subscribe, has those and more.
The Mindful Movement
The Mindful Movement, which has nearly one million subscribers, is perfect for when you want a quick reset. The hour-long sleep meditations you can find on other channels are great, but what about when you’re in need of a quick calm-down at work or home? That’s where this channel shines.
Not only do you get bite-sized clips when you want them, but the MM offers up longer, more detailed meditations, too. I appreciate that these are punctuated by more silence than some others on the list. Being told to focus your mind or breathing is helpful, but being given the space to actually sit with your thoughts is nice, too. Better yet, the instructors often film themselves practicing what they’re preaching, so you feel like you’re meditating with someone else.
