Dear Sounds True Friends,
One of the best ways to learn to meditate or to deepen your practice is through listening and following along with guided meditation instruction from a master teacher.
When we listen with open and relaxed attention, we are receiving words of instruction—but also, and perhaps even more importantly, the sound and cadence of the teacher’s voice can carry us almost like a transport wave into a meditative state.
The human voice carries so much subtle information about our state of being. When we are guided by a teacher who communicates the depth and power of presence, the voice itself is a teaching, inviting us to let go and drop deeper.
Here are seven audio meditation training programs that are brilliant at taking you step by step into the depths of the meditative experience with teachers whose voices I find to be particularly welcoming:
Body and Mind Are One with Thich Nhat Hanh: With the utmost gentleness, Zen master and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh teaches how mindfulness enables us to synchronize our body and mind in the present moment and discover what he calls “the greatest of all miracles, the miracle of being alive.”
Chanting Mantras with Deva Premal & Miten: Two gifted musicians and chant masters take us on a 21-day mantra meditation journey, inviting us to awaken our devotional heart and immerse ourselves in sacred sound.
The Practice of Pure Awareness with Reggie Ray: A nine-session training in somatic meditation, connecting us with the richness and warmth of the earth and the discovery that “your body is already awake.”
iRest Meditation with Richard Miller: Based on a modern evolution of the ancient practice of yoga nidra, iRest Meditation is such an effective form of relaxation and healing (and Richard Miller’s voice is so calming!) that this approach is being used by the military to treat PTSD as well as being used to help people struggling with anxiety and depression.
Christian Meditation with Jim Finley: A former monk under the direction of Thomas Merton, Jim Finley teaches a Christian approach to meditation that invites us to “disappear into God’s presence.”
Noble Heart with Pema Chödrön: Befriending us with her confessional approach, Pema Chödrön teaches meditations for developing love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.
The Inner Art of Meditation with Jack Kornfield: With warmth and humor, Jack Kornfield offers a comprehensive introduction to vipassana or insight meditation that has become a “Sounds True classic.”
All of these Sounds True programs are excellent guides to the practice of meditation. May they accompany you and fill you up with love and support so that you in turn can be a source of love and support for others.
With warmth on the journey,
Tami Simon,
Founder and Publisher, Sounds True
P.S. Just a reminder that every Sounds True publication that you order comes with a one-year, 100% satisfaction guarantee.