Tools for Meditation
& Stress Reduction

Meditation has finally made it into the mainstream. Magazines and blogs, newscasts, hospital MBSR programs, corporate mindfulness programs… it’s everywhere. Given the pace of life, the demands of work and family, it’s no wonder people are looking for a way to de-stress. While we don’t all have the luxury of being able to elminate, or even significantly reduce the stressors in our lives, among its many benefits meditation can indeed help with addressing the experience of stress.

However, for many, learning to meditate can become just one more cause of stress. Fortunately, there are tools and techniques that can help make getting started a little easier.

On this page I will be adding information and links to resources you may find useful. Some are created by me, and others are tools I’ve come across in my own explorations both on my own and with clients.

Guided Meditations

I plan to record several guided meditations and self-hypnosis soundtracks. Most will include background music specifically composed to help induce particular states of mind conducive to meditation and/or self-hypnosis. If you have specific types of guided meditation or self-hypnosis tracks you’d like to have me record, send me a quick note.

When listening to guided meditations, it’s helpful if you feel comfortable with the speaker’s voice. With that in mind, here’s a short sample from one of my recordings so you can get a sense of whether you feel like my voice will work for you.

MUSE

Muse is a pretty cool meditation aid. The Muse headband pairs with an app on your iPhone or Android phone. You listen to a guided meditation while the headband monitors your brainwaves, and the soundtrack you’re listening to adjusts to let you know when you’re brain is being active, or is settling down. It’s pretty cool. I’d say the only thing to be aware of is not to get drawn into experiencing it as becoming another goal directed activity — “I’ve got to get more bird sounds this time!”

Brainwave Entrainment Soundtracks & Apps

Brainwave entrainment soundtracks are designed to help guide (entrain) your brainwaves to particular frequencies. You can find soundtracks that will entrain to Alpha, Beta, Delta, Theta, and Gamma. For those of us who find it difficult to sit for long without fidgeting, these sorts of soundtracks can be quite helpful.

I’ve used them both for meditation as well as for focus when I’ve got a lot of work to do on a project, or have a lot of reading to get through. There are also soundtracks that help treat headaches that I’ve found helpful sometimes.

I’ll add some more specific soundtracks and apps soon… in the meantime, check out iAwake Technologies listed below, or just search “binaural beats” or “brainwave entrainment” in iTunes or the app store.

iAwake Technologies

iAwake Technologies has a growing library of soundtracks, each designed for a specific purpose, all designed to be consciousness-enhancing.

Check out the free soundtrack and see what you think.

Learn about the science behind iAwake Technologies soundtracks here.

Books