Using meditation CDs

[relaxmind]

As you no doubt are aware, there is a wide assortment of different "relaxation" recordings available, and many people use these for meditation purposes. But there's so many of these things, it is hard to sift through all the material to find the most suitable recordings.

From the older material--going back to the vinyl LP days--I like a lot of the recordings on the "Environments" label. They released recordings of different types of rain, birdsongs, wind and snowstorms, all kinds of stuff, and generally speaking, it was all good. They had such an assortment that the listener could pick and choose favorites from the many subtle variations. For example, a favorite of mine was "Gentle Rain in a Pine Forest," which was very soft, with strange birds calling occasionally in the distance.

I have a CD by Indigo Dreams which has different tracks, and each features soft, pleasant music, mixed with insect/animal/rainforest sounds. It is nice to have on in the background when relaxing or meditating.

Do any of you have particular favorite recordings for meditating?

I don't like music for meditation because it's too much of a distraction but I use the sound of rain to mask out any possible interruption when in my flat.
That's fine because it simulates meditation out in nature which I've done, found it particularly soothing in my parents' sun(?!) lounge - not exactly nature but it reminds me of time (and rain) in the tropics.

I know of the Environments CDs but I recorded rain and storms myself. The problem is whether the rain will last long enough to get a decent recording time. Splicing different recordings together sometimes works. I have a little portable recorder with pretty good mikes for this kind of thing.

Music is more about supporting or changing mood.

[Native spirit]

my friend uses sounds of the ocean or enya it works for her,i don't temd to use them but if I do its Native music I go for


Namaste

[relaxmind]

Yes, the use of nature sounds as "masking" sounds comes in handy, in fact I think I use those sounds for that purpose more than anything else. I can often hear traffic sounds or people talking near my apartment building, and this can be much more distracting than random birdsongs. I also have one of those inexpensive little machines that generates rain and other environment sounds, and that is good for reading or sleeping, I notice.

I have sometimes wondered if using such sounds to relax is a kind of "cheating" or shortcut, but living in a populated area, it almost seems necessary at times...

[silverSpice]

Originally Posted by relaxmind

Yes, the use of nature sounds as "masking" sounds comes in handy, in fact I think I use those sounds for that purpose more than anything else. I can often hear traffic sounds or people talking near my apartment building, and this can be much more distracting than random birdsongs. I also have one of those inexpensive little machines that generates rain and other environment sounds, and that is good for reading or sleeping, I notice.

I have sometimes wondered if using such sounds to relax is a kind of "cheating" or shortcut, but living in a populated area, it almost seems necessary at times...

I have wondered about the 'cheating' notion too! But I do like binaural music as an aid ...with ambient type sounds layered in ...also trance drumming is great - but we are all different. I do at times worry I might too dependent on music to help me meditate ...in the better weather times of year, I really just like to go outside & sit in a quiet place with the sun on my face & listen to the birds and the wind while I focus my attention on my breath (I live in the country) ...but winter is coming in and so am I! Meditating indoors in more challenging in my home with pets & hubby ...

[wolfgaze]

Steven Halpern's Deep Theta: High Coherence Soundscapes...

[silverSpice]

Originally Posted by wolfgaze

Steven Halpern's Deep Theta: High Coherence Soundscapes...

Wolfgaze - is this one continuous track or are there little silent breaks between each 'song'? This a problem I have with some med music ...the silent breaks between songs 'breaks' my efforts - thanks! I know a lot of people like Steve Halpern - I have only heard samples but always wonder about breaks in the music.