MEDITATION RESOURCES
I believe everyone has the ability to meditate. One of my dearest friends disagrees; my dying wish will be that she meditates! There are so many phenomenal resources out there for people just getting started. Remember that exercise, being in nature, dancing, creating with your hands, and so much more can all be meditative activities. The key to sitting meditation is accepting that the mind is what the mind is. It will wander. The practice of meditating simply helps us not attach to the thoughts that come up. This takes time, so be patient with yourself. There is NO RIGHT WAY to meditate. The importance is stilling the mind from its excessive thinking, planning, and storytelling.
Davidji - GUIDED MEDITATIONS
Davidji creates magical meditations. He is referred to as "the velvet voice of meditation" and it's true - his voice is very soothing. He offers a number of free guided meditations on his website and also on Insight Timer. When I started meditating, this is who I listened to! Mine and my 12 year old's favorite meditation track is his Deep Healing body scan. We listen to it at night if we are having trouble sleeping and before we know it we are both Zzzzzz!
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INSIGHT TIMER
Insight Timer is an amazing tool for meditation. It offers a library of hundreds of thousands of guided meditations which are easily searchable by topic whether you are anxious, have insomnia, are feeling angry, or grieving - you name it, there is a meditation for it! There are also talks, meditative music, and more. You can also customize the meditation timer if you prefer silent meditation, or meditations without the talking guide. You can create playlists. You can track your progress. This tool is robust with options to keep your experience fresh. The app is free and with that free account you can access A LOT, although the annual membership to access all the features is $60/year.
DR. KRISTIN NEFF -
SELF-COMPASSION
Kristin Neff, Ph.D. is a pioneer in the study of self-compassion, being the first one to operationally define and measure the construct more than twenty years ago. She has been recognized as one of the world’s most influential research psychologists. Together with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer, she has created several empirically supported self-compassion training programs and co-founded the Center for Mindful Self-compassion.
Self-Compassion Practices: Cultivate Inner Peace and Joy - Self-Compassion