CNMB Lab, Nashville, TN
dvago@bwh.harvard.edu

How to Meditate – Links for Guided Meditation Practice

Brigham and Women's Hospital

A few links for Meditation practice

There are many types of meditation practice from many types of contemplative traditions. Some are rooted in the Buddhist contemplative tradition (Theravada or Mahayana) and others from traditions like Kabbalah in Judaism, and centering prayer originating in Christianity. There are many other contemplative practices, but it is those that stem from Buddhism that have been secularized and adapted into the Western medical model for a variety of clinical conditions and are simple enough for anyone who knows how to breathe.

For those interested in some simple guided meditations, there is a large selection of secular Buddhist instructors with different voices and styles, but all have similar basic approaches to helping you cultivate mindfulness, reduce suffering, and improve cognitive and emotional skills like attention regulation and emotion regulation. Keep in mind that meditative practices geared towards cultivating mindfulness are not typically intended for relaxation – they are intended to gain a sense of familiarity with one’s own mental landscape – what and where does one mind go when you let it just go. This requires a fair amount of effort, diligence, motivation, arousal (alert wakefulness), and good posture (Stephanie Nash on Good Posture [Link]) and WhatMeditationReallyIs [Link]. It is suggested that you attempt to experience these meditations in a comfortable, upright, seated position (at your desk or on the floor), but not in the supine position (because then you will simply fall asleep). Good Luck!

Mindfulness-based Meditations

caveat for dealing with difficult emotions that arise during meditation – see this excellent interview with Leigh Brasington by Dr. Willoughby Britton [Link]

Focused Attention Meditation

AUDIO

45 min – Seated Meditation – Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) – [Link] – narrated by UC San Diego Center for Integrative Medicine

30 min – Breath Awareness from Anapanasati Sutta – [Link] – narrated by Lisa Dale Miller

30 min – Breath Awareness – [Link] – narrated by Ronald Siegel

20 min – Seated Meditation – Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) – [Link] – narrated by UC San Diego Center for Integrative Medicine

14 min – Mindfulness of Breathing – [Link] – narrated by Jon Kabat-Zinn

11 min – Focused Attention Meditation – [Link] – narrated by David Vago

10 min – Breath Awareness – [Link] – narrated by Margaret Cullen

8 min – Breath Awareness [Link] – narrated by David Vago

5 min – Breath Awareness – [Link] – narrated by Diana Winston – UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center)

VIDEO

45 min – Breath Awareness; RoundGlass On Demand – [Link] – narrated by Vishvapani Blomfield

15 min – Anapana Meditation [Link] – narrated by S.N. Goenka

10 min – Breath Awareness – [Link] – narrated by Rick Heller from the Secular Humanist Contemplative Group – Harvard University

3 min – 3 min breathing space  [Link] – narrated by Zindel Segal

Body Scan Meditation

AUDIO

45 min – MBSR – [Link] – narrated by UC San Diego Center for Integrative Medicine and Department of Psychiatry

30 min version from MBCT course [Link] – narrated by Zindel Segal

25 min – Body Scan – [Link] – narrated by Sharon Salzberg

12 min  –  MARC  [Link]  –  narrated by Diana Winston

12 min – Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) guided meditation [Link]  – narrated by Jon Kabat-Zinn

VIDEO

60 min – Body Scan with nature sounds [Link] – narrated by Florence Meleo-Meyer

Open Monitoring (Insight meditation)

AUDIO

60 min – Vipassana – [Link] – narrated by S.N. Goenka

21 min – Vipassana – [Link] – narrated by Joseph Goldstein

20 min – Refuge in Awareness [Link] – narrated by Tara Brach

15 min – Insight Meditation [Link] – narrated by Joseph Goldstein

14 min – Open Awareness [Link] – narrated by David Vago

VIDEO

15 min – Meditation on Body, Space, and Awareness – [Link] – narrated by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

10 min – Just sitting (Zen Shikantaza) – [Link] – narrated by Shinzen Young

5 min – Mindfulness [Link] – Beautiful Bell for facilitating mindfulness practice

15 min – Do Nothing (similar to choiceless awareness described by Krishnamurti or open presence in Dzogchen) – [Link] – Technique explained by Shinzen Young

Metta – Loving Kindness Meditation

How To Practice Loving Kindness Meditation:

Receiving Loving-Kindness

Finding a comfortable posture, keep your eyes closed and think of a person close to you who loves you very much. It could be someone from the past or the present; someone still in life or who has passed; it could be a spiritual teacher, guide, relative, or even a pet. Imagine that person (or pet) sending you their love, wishes for your your health and happiness. Feel the unconditional love, kindness and warmth coming to you from that person.

Sending Loving-Kindness to Loved Ones

Now bring your awareness back to this loved one. Begin to send the love that you feel back to that person. You and this person are similar. Just like you, this person wishes to be happy. Send all your love and warm wishes to that person.

Repeat the following phrases, silently:

May you live with ease, may you be happy, may you be free from suffering. 

May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you live with ease and happiness.

May your life be filled with happiness, health, and well-being.

Sending Loving-Kindness to Neutral People

Now think of an acquaintance, someone you don’t know very well and toward whom you do not have any particular feeling. It could be a neighbor, or a colleague, or someone else that you see around but do not know very well. You and this person are alike in your wish to have a good life, be happy and healthy.

Send all your wishes for well-being to that person, repeating the following phrases, silently:

Just as I wish to, may you also live with ease and happiness.

May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be free from all suffering. 

Sending Loving-Kindness to All Living Beings

Now expand your awareness and picture the whole world in front of you.

Send warm wishes to all living beings on the Earth, who, like you, want to be happy:

Just as I wish to, may you live with ease, happiness, and good health. 

Take a deep breath in. And breathe out. And another deep breath in and let it go. Notice the state of your mind and how you feel after this meditation.

AUDIO

48 min – Loving Kindness [Link] – narrated by Jon Kabat-Zinn

30 min – Mindful Solutions [Link]  – narrated by Ronald Siegel

30 min – [Link] – narrated by Gil Fransdal

25 min – Sharing Happiness & Joy [Link] – narrated by John Makransky

10 min – [Link] – narrated by Sharon Salzberg

VIDEO

27 min – [Link] – narrated by Sharon Salzberg

Other Interesting guided meditations and Instructions

AUDIO

Walking Meditation – 11 min – narrated by David Vago [Link]

Equanimity Meditation – 15 min – narrated by David Vago [Link]

Insight Meditation Instruction – Ven. Pannyavaro (MP3 Files) [Link]

BUDDHANET – This is a collection of Meditation talks by Buddhist teachers of various traditions – [Link]

Audio Dharma – Links to guided meditation from top teachers [Link]

VIDEO

Using Panic attacks to guide meditation – [Link] – Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

Vipassana Meditation 10-day retreat – Day 1 instructions – [Link] – narrated by S.N. Goenka (links to full 10 days are available)

UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center also has a few good links for guided meditation [Link]

If you have any links that you would like to add to this list, please pass them on – I am MORE than happy to share.

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