Meditation is one of the best ways to expand your awareness and explore various states of consciousness, but most people have the misconception that meditation requires you to "blank your mind" or eliminate all thoughts. While it's true that some forms of meditation involve quieting the mind, there are a variety of meditation techniques that don't.
Meditation doesn't have to be as complicated as many people make it out to be. Something as simple as washing the dishes, gardening, or doodling a picture can become a meditation if approached in the right way. The Meditation Bible, a terrific book written by Madonna Gauding, describes dozens of easy meditation techniques and I highly recommend it for anyone who wishes to give meditation a try.
I typically prefer to listen to the Insight CD while I meditate because it relaxes the body and guides the mind into a very deep state, but every so often I enjoy a silent meditation. I usually meditate for twenty to thirty minutes at a time, but I don't like to watch the clock while I meditate, and sometimes it is difficult to gauge when twenty minutes have passed. Anyone who has practiced meditation regularly for more than a few weeks can testify to how distorted your sense of time can become during a meditation session.
A simple solution would be to use a kitchen timer, but the sound is so unpleasant and it's never fun to be jolted out of a quiet meditation session by such a grating sound. I wanted a more relaxing sound to signal the end of my meditation session, so I created a simple meditation timer, which I'm giving away for free.
The meditation timer uses two small audio files, which I'll explain how to use. It may sound complicated at first but once you try it you'll discover it's actually very easy.
The first file contains nothing but 5 minutes of silence. The second file contains the chime of a Tibetan singing bowl, which sounds like a soft gong. To use the files to create your own meditation timer, follow these simple steps:
Burn a CD (or create a playlist in iTunes or Windows Media Player) with 12 copies of the 5-minute Silence file followed by one copy of the Tibetan Bowl file. Your track listing should look like this:
1. 5-minute silence
2. 5-minute silence
3. 5-minute silence
4. 5-minute silence
5. 5-minute silence
6. 5-minute silence
7. 5-minute silence
8. 5-minute silence
9. 5-minute silence
10. 5-minute silence
11. 5-minute silence
12. 5-minute silence
13. Tibetan bowl chime
This gives you the choice of meditating for any length of time ending at any five-minute interval between 5 minutes and 60 minutes. For example, if you want to meditate for only fifteen minutes, jump straight to Track 10 and begin there. The CD will play tracks 10, 11, and 12, resulting in fifteen minutes of silence, followed by Track 13, the sound of the chime. If you want to meditate for a full hour, simply play the CD from the beginning. At the end of sixty minutes, the CD will reach Track 13 and the chime will sound.
You can use this method to meditate for only five minutes by skipping all the way to Track 12 and beginning there, or you can meditate for thirty-five minutes by skipping to Track 6 and beginning there instead, or you can choose any five-minute interval you prefer. See how easy it is?
The two audio files, along with these instructions, are included in a zipped file. To download the zipped file and save it to your computer:
1. Right-click on the link below
2. Select Save Target As from the menu
Here's the link: Free Meditation Timer
If you prefer to listen to music while you meditate, I highly recommend Musical Massage: Inside by Silvia Nakkach. The music is lush and evocative, and it will take your mind on a fantastic journey. If you want to reach a truly deep state of meditation without years of practice, I recommend the Insight CD instead.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Grrrreat!! This is exactly what I was looking for!
thanks
Nice work, I’ve added to my mp3 player along with the relaxation and stress busting music and can take it anywhere. Thanks for this. Already passing it on to others.
This is exactly what i was looking for, thank-you so much it’s perfect!
)
Hi Charlotte,
You’re very welcome! I’m glad it was useful.
~ Kris
Many, many thanks! My eleven-year-olds and I will be able to meditate mindfully now without clock-watching!
Hi Elena,
You’re welcome! It definitely makes a difference when you don’t have to keep part of your attention on the clock anymore.
~ Kris
My school uses a similar recording that I’ve been looking for for quite some time, it’s got a 15 minute loop with rin gongs interspersed, and an invocation at the front and back.
It has an invocation at the front, in a man’s voice: “… suffering and the root of suffering. Enjoy happiness and the root of happiness. …”
And then at the end it has a woman’s voice saying something like: ” … may we all be liberated from this ocean of samsara and from its pounding waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.”
Anyone know of anything similar?
Hi Chris,
I’m sorry I’m not familiar with the recording you described. I Googled some of the text you included in your comment and this CD turned up. It’s similar but doesn’t seem to be the same recording you mentioned.
~ Kris
Thank you for the info. I will give this a look over!
Just what I needed! Thanks! And so easy to download!
I have a couple of meditation timers for smartphone users you may be interested in: http://m.JetCityOrange.com/meditation/timer/ (best viewed using an Android or iPhone).
thanks,
Jerry Whiting
JetCityOrange / Seattle