You finally got the OK for the stress management portion of your wellness program.

But, the budget is low.

So, you think YouTube meditations are an easy answer. Play a meditation during the weekly meeting and then share the link and employees can go back whenever they want to access it.

Zero cost.

Winner....right?

What is the difference between using a YouTube meditation versus a live instructor?

1.    Not all meditation is created equal

If I give my honest opinion, most meditations out there are people talking at you, almost like a lecture. Meditation must allow space for people to practice, in silence.  Sometimes the best teachers don't want to give away their services for free, so you must ask what kind of quality you are getting on YouTube. What are the credentials and experience of the instructor? Would you really go to an exercise class with an untrained teacher? These are important considerations.

   2.      Do you know what you are getting?

Many of our clients who choose this route aren't trained in meditation. They may not know the benefit of a body scan meditation that begins at the feet versus the one that starts at the right hand. Let's say your colleague has a question about the style. Having an answer for your employee meditation group may improve understanding, educate them about different styles and create opportunities to explore their own experience with depth.

   3.     Experience

Each of the employees in the class is at a different level of experience. This can lead to differences in preferences and adaptation of meditation. An experienced teacher can capture the attention of all levels. In our classes we do like to ask who has meditation experience so we know how to adapt the practice to accommodate the different levels. Differences in levels can improve outcomes when we share our experience and impressions from meditation.

    4.     Reflection

Being a part of a busy office, or during a high demand work day, it may be our tendency to jump from one meeting to another without much time to reflect or observe. An essential part of this practice is to spend time asking "What happened" during the meditation and see if there are others who had a similar experience. The teacher can explain common tendencies and share experiences that perhaps encourage the group, rather than discourage them.

    5.     Engagement

Let's get honest. Many wellbeing programs are offering incentives to attend programs of this sort.  Are we only checking a box? Or are we interested in each experience being rich and layered for the participants? Simply having a live instructor with a voice that modulates for what they observe in class can lead to a participant feeling fully engaged, or zoning out because they are just watching a pre-recorded screen.  We frequently get the feedback that the instructor "said something as soon as my mind began to wander." It's hard to time it that way when it's pre-recorded.

YouTube/Pre-recorded benefits:

1.   Cost

Yes you are going to get a lower cost with a pre-recorded or YouTube meditation class.

2.       On-Demand

Use the recording anytime you like, in any way you like. So if the employee finds it relaxes them and they want to use it before sleep, they can hop on YouTube and use it again.  In live instructed virtual classes, you often do have the opportunity to distribute a recording, so make sure to claify this with your teacher.

3.      It's Easy

No meetings to vet the instructor. No limits to usage.

What else are we missing? What do you think the benefits of the YouTube Pre-recordings are?