Guided meditation
The art of meditation might be described as a combination of quietening the mind, contemplation and reflection. However, it is also a particular state of mind and consciousness. Meditation is now widely practiced and there are many resources available.
As with any new endeavour, your experience will be enhanced with a qualified and experienced guide by your side. Private sessions, group classes or seminars can be found and accessed readily, as can other resources such as meditation books.
Unfortunately, seminars and retreats can be prohibitively expensive, while classes can place undue pressure on beginning practitioners, who may find it difficult to meditate on cue!
On the other hand, books on meditation suffer from a fatal flaw – you cannot read and meditate at the same time!
Thankfully, there is an easier way, with proven results! There are a number of established teachers who produce guided meditation audio programs, combining ancient wisdom with the convenience of modern equipment. Audio programs give you a chance to meditate at a time and place of your choosing, while receiving all the qualified advice you need.
What to look for when selecting a meditation audio program:
- Exercises have to be structured from light through to medium and deep meditative states, and all three stages must be covered; watch out for unscrupulous producers who will try and sell you these as three separate volumes.
- Complete recordings are ideally around one hour in length. Anything less than 45 minutes is not necessarily sufficient time to achieve a properly deep meditative state. Anything over 90 minutes can cause fatigue and loss of concentration.
- If you are a new practitioner, ensure that your audio program includes an overview of the basic concepts, ideas and philosophies behind the program. Proper understanding is an important part of any spiritual experience.
If you are looking for a good meditation audio program on a CD, I highly recommend this Guided Meditation CD