I’m sure you’ve heard about the benefits of meditation. There is endless research confirming the widespread of benefits from a regular meditation practice. Particularly from a stress-management perspective, meditation is a powerful tool for increasing your health and happiness.
I have been practising meditation on and off for about 2 years now, however I’m still not at the stage where I can just sit there and do it. I’m relying on either guided meditations, or meditation music. Today, I want to share with you some amazing meditation resources to get you started.
Meditation Benefits
Lately, my meditation practice is touch and go, but as one of my 2015 intentions is to cultivate a regular practice, I thought I would also remind myself of the reasons why it is so good for me! In my research, I came across this wonderful infographic created by Emma Seppala.
Meditation Resources
Here are a few of the resources that I have found to be quite bliss-inducing!
The Mindfulness App I and II
These Apps were my first introduction to meditation, and really simple. There are meditation tracks as short as 3 minutes. Whilst the accent is American, the messages are relaxing and relevant.
There is also a fantastic Body Scan track that is useful for putting yourself to sleep if you are struggling with insomnia.
There isn’t much difference between the two, just more tracks to choose from. Both also keep a record of your usage to supply with you some statistics.
These apps are $2.49 each.
Find the apps here:
Claire Obeid guided meditations
Claire’s voice is like silk! She has a wonderful message to share through her meditations, which are read in her Australian accent with soft music in the background.
They are insightful, deeply relaxing and easy to listen to for those just starting a meditation practice.
There are three different meditation series, which include 7 tracks and a journal ebook. Each series is $39.
Get Claire’s Inner Radiance Meditation Album here*.
The Little Sage guided meditations
If you are looking for something a little more spiritual, then The Little Sage meditations are for you. Helen Jacobs is an intuitive, psychic and medium who is the founder and creative director of The Little Sage. Her meditations are deeply spiritual and will have you on a journey to connect with your true self.
The Little Sage guided meditations assist you to Connect to Guidance, Balance Your Energy or Harness the Energy of the Moon. Tracks are $12 each.
Find out more about The Little Sage meditations here.
Sonsence Meditones
When you are comfortable to branch away from guided meditations, I cannot recommend Meditones enough. These meditation tracks are more than just peaceful music, as they imbedded with tones that will transform your meditation practice.
When using a pair of headphones, you will hear a slight humming noise “beneath” the beautiful music.
Meditones are precisely tuned frequencies of sound, that stimulate brain waves, effortlessly sending you into a deep state of relaxation. If you want to learn about the science behind this, research binaural beats.
I was lucky enough to meet the creator of these beautiful tracks, Tahlee Roullion early last year. She is currently creating a new album in Finland (lucky duck) and you can pre-order her new album here.
Buy the album for $97 or single tracks for $19.
Find out more about Meditones and purchase tracks here.
Meditation Tips
If you are anything like me, you’ll understand that there is quite often resistance when working towards an intention. I’d love to say that I want to meditate daily, but sometimes life just gets in the way. So here are my tips for meditation:
- Set your alarm clock for 15 minutes earlier than you would need to get up. Reach over to your ipod which you have left on your bedside table the night before and meditate in the warm oasis that is your bed! Worried you might fall back asleep, sit up in bed and pull the covers to your waist.
- Not an early bird? Try going to bed 15 minutes earlier and meditating before you sleep.
- I struggle with the traffic here in Melbourne, so I would rather ensure I’m not late and leave 15 minutes earlier. If the traffic is kind, I will often pull into a carpark belonging to a park and meditate before work.
- Struggling to concentrate while listening to a guided meditation? Try counting to 3 as you breathe in, hold for 1, breathe out for 3 and hold for 1.
- Don’t beat yourself up if you find that your mind has spent the last 5 minutes thinking of your shopping list or your to-do list at work. Happens to the best of us!
Create a space for meditation if you have the room. That way if I want to meditate on a Saturday afternoon, I can shut the door and not be distracted. My meditation space has the mandala I bought in Nepal, a few crystals and a candle. You can bring in anything that makes you feel calm and relaxed.
*Please note, in the spirit of honesty, I am an affiliate for Claire Obeid’s Mini Meditation Album.
