Guided Meditations - Bodhipaksa.
The narrator has a soft, calming voice that gently takes you through
each meditation, stage-by-stage, and makes the whole process fairly
simple. It begins with the classic meditation on the breath (27mins),
audio sample: Mindfulness of Breathing.
Also includes a meditation to nurture Loving Kindness and a Walking
Meditation. This is Amazon's best-selling meditation CD - not
surprising considering the superb customer reviews it gets. The meditations are Buddhist in origin but no spiritual beliefs are involved. Guided Meditations for Stress Reduction is also worth a look.
>> CD from Wildmind Buddhist Meditation (also as MP3 download) and Windhorse Publications t 0141 630 4164; also from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Audio info To give best results with dial-up modems, clips are all lo-fi quality, either in RealAudio™ format (free RealPlayer® here), or mp3.
Breathing Peace - Richard Farmer
A simple yet effective method, ideal for beginners. The session
begins by setting up a comfortable, balanced posture and relaxing the
whole body. Then, with the out breath, the emphasis is on releasing and
letting go. This sets up a state of receptivity for the in breath, so
that with it you experience each new moment as it comes. Audio sample: The Peace of Stillness. 24 minutes. Track 2 is a meditation for the heart, 22 minutes.
>> Tape or CD from Living Dharma Tapes, e-mail, t 01432 840860.
A comprehensive course teaching 'Clinically Standardized
Meditation', which was developed purely as a relaxation technique. An
instruction manual and four audio tapes guide you step by step; the
emphasis is on making meditation as easy as possible (audio sample)
with advice on adapting the technique to suit each individual; much of
the course is devoted to overcoming problems that might occur. I am not
a natural meditator and had made several previous attempts to learn,
but using this course I was finally able to establish a regular and
satisfying practice. Not cheap, but well worth it if you have problems
learning meditation.
>> From Bookplace Ltd (UK/Europe) t 01923 229933 and EFT (North America).
If you have done some meditation before you might enjoy these
practices of extended focus on the breath by the legendary Ram Dass (Vipassana audio sample). The tape also includes a short mantra meditation and a Q&A session.
>> Tape or CD from Living Dharma Tapes. E-mail, t 01432 840860.
Each of these four simple meditations uses a different element as
the focus for your attention. The first uses the breath; you are gently
guided into the meditation (audio sample),
then continue for about ten minutes with music playing and the
occasional gentle reminder to bring your attention back to the breath
if it has drifted off - then the exercise is brought to a close. All
the meditations have a similar format; one uses a mantra as the focus,
another uses the light on the inside of your closed eyelids, while a
fourth, Spiritual Sun, focuses on the more spiritual aspects of
meditation. Includes a booklet with tips and information to get you
started; e-mail support is also available. 56 minutes in total, on CD.
>> $19 inc. shipping to anywhere in the world from World Wide Online Meditation Center. 30-day money-back guarantee
These ten short stilling practices use classic meditation techniques
such as using a mantra and meditation on a candle flame; some of the
relaxations also use imagery (imagine you're a bird riding a
thermal...). A good way to try out different techniques and ideal if
you just want a short relaxation, audio sample.
>> Tapes and CDs from Diana Lampen
A good sound track for meditating on the breath. Ethereal
synthesised music is mixed with the soothing sounds of flowing water,
and the pace of breathing is set by the gentle chiming of a bell. Side
1 has five bells a minute (sample), side 2 just three bells a minute (30 minutes each side).
>>From Hypnosis Health Care (more samples); $19.99 inc. shipping worldwide.
Feeling adventurous? Try this: 'imagine yourself as a gigantic
candle, sculpted in your own likeness, with your backbone as the wick,
rising upwards into the middle of your head - and softly glowing with a
gentle flame that illumines the interior of your mind', audio sample.
You then proceed to melt. This is definitely a little weird, but I find
it deeply relaxing as all the tension just melts away (and yes, you do
get to put yourself back together at the end of the meditation). 35
minutes. Sold as Yoga Nidra, 'The Sleep of the
Yogi's' - the title of the flip side. This is a method of deep
relaxation by slowly withdrawing consciousness from the tips of your
toes through to the top of your head; 45 minutes, with sitar music.
>>From Muz Murray (cheque payment). Or to buy online it's a hefty £8.95 (CD £15.99) plus £1.40 p&p from The Inner Bookshop, t 01865 245301.
Where to browse for more tapes & CDs
Sounds True has a vast catalogue of meditation tapes & CDs, many with audio clips. Amazon.co.uk's Relaxation and Meditation category (also Amazon.com) has many meditation tapes, and The Inner Bookshop also has a good selection.
All reviews by Simon McGrath (relaxationreviews.org).
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