This guided meditation for acting helps you, as an actor, to focus on getting into the character’s state of mind, understand the character you are playing, and act effectively.
Begin by getting relaxed. Find a comfortable position, sitting in a supportive chair or lying on your back.
Focus your gaze on one spot in the room. Look only at this spot, keeping your eyes open for now.
Raise your shoulders up toward your ears as you breathe in, and lower your shoulders into a relaxed position as you exhale. Breathe in, raising your shoulders, and out…relaxing your shoulders.
Keep your shoulders in this relaxed position as you breathe slowly…deeply…calmly…
Close your hands into fists…hold the tension…and then release. Allow your hands to rest open…free from tension…
Relax your jaw…your forehead…your neck…
Let your upper body relax…
Relax your lower body…all the way down to your feet.
Feel your eyelids becoming heavy…relaxing…becoming so heavy…being pulled down by gravity…
Imagine how good it would feel to close your eyes…but keep focusing on one spot in the room.
Focus your gaze…feeling your eyelids weighing downward…feeling very heavy…feel your eyes wanting to close…wanting to relax…
Notice your gaze wavering…
Feel each blink lasting a bit longer…so difficult to open your eyes…
Your eyelids are so heavy…
Allow your eyes to close…pleasantly relaxing…feeling so relaxed and sleepy…
(Pause)
Now let’s begin the meditation for acting. Start to create an image in your mind of the character you will be playing.
Who is the character?
What is the character like?
Allow all the details about this character to fill your mind.
(Pause)
Now imagine that you are inside the character’s mind…just as a passive observer, watching the character…observing what he or she does. Seeing how the character behaves…imagine that you can even read the character’s thoughts.
Imagine the character going about the things he or she does. See the world through the character’s eyes.
What is important to this person?
What motivates him or her?
What does the character want?
See the character doing the roles that you will be playing when you act. Be an observer, seeing the world through the character’s eyes, hearing with the character’s ears, and perceiving the character’s thoughts as he or she does the activities you will be portraying.
(Pause)
Continue the meditation for acting…meditating deeply on the character you will portray.
Envision the obstacles that this character faces. What are the obstacles? How does the character handle these challenges? Why does the character do the things he or she does? Observe, seeing the character’s actions, perceiving his or her thoughts, and understanding his or her behavior.
(Pause)
Continue the meditation for acting…meditating deeply on the character you will portray.
Now imagine that you are the character. In your mind, truly be this person. What characteristics do you, as this character, have?
What mannerisms do you use as this character?
What motivates you?
What is your biggest obstacle?
What other challenges do you face?
As this character, what are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
What do you want?
Continue the meditation for acting…meditating deeply on the character you will portray.
Imagine how the character would react to various situations, and allow yourself to take on this persona so you can react to situations in the same way.
Allow the character to shine through…being this character…so natural…so easy…
Continue the meditation for acting…meditating deeply on the character you will portray.
When you see yourself as this character, you intuitively know how he or she would behave…how the character would handle situations…and you act the same way…
While you are acting, you become this person…
Continue the meditation for acting…meditating deeply on the character you will portray.
Fully get inside the character’s mind…understanding who this person is…knowing this person very well…reacting and behaving as this person…
(Pause)
Continue the meditation for acting…meditating deeply on the character you will portray.
Imagine the things that the character says…the lines you will say as this character…feel the emotions behind the words, as the character feels them.
Allow the words from the lines to become familiar to you…natural…flowing easily from the personality of the character…the words and actions make sense and come so naturally as you become this person…
(Pause)
Continue the meditation for acting…meditating deeply on the character you will portray.
Take the next few minutes to imagine being the character. Familiarize yourself with the character’s personality, strengths and weaknesses, motivations, challenges and obstacles…get inside the character’s mind.
I’ll pause for three minutes. During this time, imagine being the character you will portray.
(Pause)
Now that you have completed the meditation for acting, you can rely on your deep understanding of the character when you act in the future. You may find that when you are acting, you intuitively and naturally become the character, acting out his or her desires as if you really were that person. You can allow your thoughts, actions, mannerisms, and personality to appear just as the character’s would…fully understanding the character’s state of mind.
Slowly begin to reawaken your mind and body…returning to yourself…returning to the present…
Wiggle your fingers, feeling your hands and arms waking up. Move your toes…waking up your feet and legs.
Reach your arms above your head, stretching as you breathe in…and lower your arms slowly as you exhale.
Take one more deep breath…becoming revitalized and full of energy…breathing out and becoming fully awake.
When you are completely awake and alert, you can return to your day, feeling confident and calm.
