Free Guided Audio Meditations

Using free guided audio meditations provides an opportunity for calm anytime, anywhere.

There are many free options for audio meditation.

Audio meditation guides the listener through a series of steps or imagery exercises. Some audio meditation forms include music, or tones to stimulate or relax brain waves. Similar to guided relaxation techniques, the purpose is to reach a level of centeredness.

Many people find audio meditation helpful because it provides diversity in the practice, as well as discipline. You might experiment with meditation themes provided by various teachers that you wouldn’t think of in private practice. If your thoughts tend to wander, guided meditation helps you get back on track.

Another benefit to using free guided audio meditations is the opportunity to try many different styles and presenters. This is helpful when determining whether to purchase a teacher’s full-length CD or attend one of his or her conferences or retreats.

On Beliefnet, there is a meditation page with methods from many faiths and belief systems. For example, you can follow along with a praying of the Catholic rosary, or chant a mantra. The site features many prominent individuals in the world of contemplative studies, including Jon Kabat-Zinn, Tara Brach, Perna Chodran and Dr. Andrew Weil. The featured meditations on this site stream easily.

BuddhaNet is sponsored by the Buddha Dharma Education Association. The site has an extensive list of free guided audio meditations. Subjects range from “The Art of Attention” and “Contemplating Elements” to “Progressive Relaxation” and “Loving Kindness Instruction”. All are easy to download.

The Insight Meditation Society is a highly-regarded center for meditation practice. The free audio resources it provides on its Web site include guided meditations from Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein, as well as “Dharma Talks” on a number of subjects. The files on this site are large and may take some time to download.

Producers Jesse and Jeane Stern developed the Meditation Podcast with a series of tones to promote deeper relaxation. Features in the podcast series include “Addiction”, “Positive Thoughts”, and “Transformational Breathing.” You can download the podcasts from iTunes, or from the Web site’s download page. The files are not standard mp3s, however, so special software may be required.

This site offers four different free meditations to download. These meditations include topics such as “Deepening the Silence” and “Following the Breath” and are an extension of the courses and retreats sponsored by the organization. You can also view free Satsang videos produced by Christine Breese. These files on this site are quite large, so extra patience is required.

Sounds True is a clearinghouse that stocks hundreds of titles. In addition to meditation, you’ll find audio products for enhancing creativity, mind-body healing, and prayer. The site offers three free guided meditation downloads as a sample of the selection and operation of its download store.

If you’re comfortable in your meditation practice, but would like to enhance it with sound, try Psych Innovations. The site features a sampler of three sound montages.

Web sites featuring guided meditations present audio files differently. Some sites are designed to offer a more instantaneous stream, while others require you to download a file into an audio player. Additionally, some of the free guided audio meditations can be up to an hour long.

Instead of trying to play the file automatically only to find out it’s too large, most people with PCs find it easier to right click on the file and save it to another destination. While it’s downloading, meditate! When you’ve finished your practice, your file should be ready.

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