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Meditation
[Basic Meditation Exercises]
[Intermediate Meditation Exercises]
Meditation is something that can improve the life of anyone. It is best if done daily, but even once in a while can be a very helpful thing.
You do not have to be in any particular mind space before meditating! It helps, but everyone has to start somewhere, and the first meditation linked on this page, the simple centering breathing exercise, is a good place to start if you are new to all this.
The idea of having to be in a good space for meditation before starting is kind of like the idea of having to get clean before you take a shower!
Most meditation exercises are best done in a calm and quiet atmosphere, with a comfortable place to sit or lie down.
Often, lighting candles and/or incense, turning the lights down or off, and choosing some soothing music, or music made for meditation can be helpful.
Some meditation practices call for specific things along those lines, whether a particular soundscape, certain candles or incense, or the like, but most are pretty flexible. In fact, there are NO hard and fast rules when it comes to meditation, really, though there are things that have been found by a lot of people to work better than others. The best thing to do is experiment and find what works best for you. That said, if you are brand new to meditative practices, at least try following the directions exactly on some of the following exercises, especially if you have tried meditation before and it "didn't work".
It is important to note that the guided meditation mp3 files are meant as a companion to the written versions, rather than a substitute. You should always read the page all the way through before beginning a meditation, whether you are using the mp3 or not.
The following list of meditation practices/exercises are arranged, in order of the most basic and simple, to the more advanced techniques. Subsequent exercises tend to build upon skills learned in the previous ones, so it is best to start at the top, and work you way through the meditations in order, repeating them as needed, until you are fully comfortable with taking yourself to the desired state or level for each one.
More will be added to the list, over time, so continue to check back, or subscribe to be notified of changes at the bottom of the page.
Basic Meditation Exercises
The exercises in this section are suitable for seekers at any level of experience, from those who have never tried anything like it before, all the way up to life-long practitioners. More experienced practitioners will likely be more than familiar with most of these concepts, but still may find some of the practices useful, and perhaps will enjoy a fresh look at some of the same things, as well as some exercises you haven't yet tried, and may wish to add to your routines. I first embarked on my journey of meditation in 1987, and some of these exercises were ones I learned back then and have adapted and/or recreated here. I still use all of them on a regular basis.
• Mindful Breath Meditation (Shamatha) - Shamatha translates to, "Breathing as is", and is the practice of focusing on the breath. This is a short and simple introductory exercise that anyone can do, nearly anywhere and any time. Almost all meditations on this page start with some mindful breaths, as do the majority of meditative practices in general. (9 minutes)
• Cleansing Breath Exercise -
This exercise both teaches you how to do cleansing breaths properly, and takes you through a series of cleansing and mindful breaths that will help clear toxins and energise you. Most meditations on this page (and in general) incorporate cleansing breaths. (7 minutes)
• Simple Centering Breathing Exercise - This is suitable for everyone from a complete beginner up to someone with 20 or more years experience. It is a quick exercise that can help you get into a meditative state, or just to get yourself in a better mood - otherwise known as "centered", when needed. (7 minutes)
• Morning Breath (Breathing & Stretching Exercise) - (No, not that kind of morning breath!) This short, simple, breathing and stretching practice is great for first thing in the morning, right after you get up. It helps clear your respiratory, sinus, and nasal passages, as well as relieving muscle and back tension, stiffness, or pain. (7 minutes)
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation - This exercise is designed to help you completely relax every part of your body and mind, using a simple technique of tightening and releasing muscle groups, one at a time. (25 minutes)
• Sound Focus Meditation Exercise - This is a good meditation, especially for beginners, to get used to meditation techniques and to train your mind to focus. (12 minutes)
• White Light Meditation (Cleansing & Beginning Shielding) - This is a simple and quick meditation that anyone can do to help center focus, release negative energy, and spiritually shield from negative influences. (10 minutes)
• Basic Centering, Grounding, Shielding Meditation - This is exactly what the name would imply. It is a little more advanced than the White Light Meditation, but still very much a good beginner level exercise. (12 minutes)
• Reaching your Alpha Level - This method teaches you how to get down to your relaxation level, or your Alpha level as it is also known, through a simple, colour progression exercise. This is a great precursor to many of the other meditation practices, and can also be used on its own to relax, fall asleep, or simply enter a meditative state. (7 minutes)
• Finding your Secret Place - This exercise will guide you to your own, psychic, sacred, secret place, help you discover its wonders, personalise it exactly as you like, and teach you how to return to that place at any time in the future, whenever you need or would like some time to yourself, away from it all. (30 minutes)
• Discovering Your Spirit Animal - A guided meditation, created by author, educator, and spiritualist, Ted Andrews, which will lead you to your own animal Totem/Guide. (25 minutes)
• Belly Breath Meditation (Kundalini - LDB) - Belly breathing, medically known as, "diaphragmatic breathing", and called "long, deep breath" (LDB), in Kundalini Yoga, engages your entire lung capacity, rather than the shallow breaths that only fill the chest. This practice will teach you how to correctly take deep "belly breaths", regardless of the purpose, and also can be used as a short meditation on its own. (12 minutes)
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Intermediate Meditation Exercises
If you are not already experienced with meditative practices, and have not yet tried any of the previous meditations listed on this page, you should go up to the beginning of the list, start with the first meditation, and work your way through them, doing each a few times, until you are fully familiar with the techniques, before moving on to the ones in this section.
• Meditation for Unconditional Love - We all have within us, the natural capacity for unconditional love. Feelings of friendship, kinship, kindness, or empathy that is open, supportive, compassionate, and constant, with no expectation of appreciation, return, or even acknowledgement. This meditation focuses on cultivating and expanding that unconditional love. (20 minutes)
• Healing Water Meditation - This guided imagery, also known as visualisation based meditation practice is designed to help relieve and reduce both acute and chronic pain, and can have very long-lasting effects, when done regularly.
(23 minutes)
• Roses & Thorns ~ Intermediate Shielding Meditation - This is a more thorough and "heavy duty" shielding exercise than the ones listed above, and is best used as an additional layer to your basic shielding, in conjunction with grounding and centering. You should be well familiar with Basic Centering, Grounding, and Shielding before attempting this exercise. (30 minutes)
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