How to Listen to Mp3 audios for mindfulness, meditation, or visualisation
Mindfulness audios can be listened to anywhere, so long as you have a good set of headphones.
Remember, though, to become mindful. You will need to be in a comfortable place where you can essentially place your mind in a calm state, in other words, where you don’t have to be concerned about answering the phone or being disturbed.
Your mind should be free of worry, fear and running thoughts.
How to Listen – Decide Upon a Plan
It’s essential to be consistent in listening to your audios; this will help you benefit from the effects of using them.
Decide on when and where you will listen to them; for best results, it should be daily, make a commitment and stay with it.
Also, decide how much time you would like to spend listening to them. If you’re starting, 15 minutes twice a day is fine. You can gradually work your way up to 1 hour a day.
Early morning and evening just before bed are great times for meditation and mindfulness, but you can do it whenever you want to, so long as it is consistently.
The Right Environment
It stands to reason that the environment in which you listen to any mindfulness, meditation or visualisation audio is relaxed, quiet, and comfortable.
Find a space that isn’t associated with stress or high-energy activity.
Your environment should be free of disturbances and loud noises. Turn off your phone and let them know you won’t be available for that period if you live with other people.
Being in nature is ideal, sitting in a park, by a lake in a field or at sea, if that isn’t possible, try your garden, a room in your house that makes you feel content and at ease.
Seven essential attitudes of mindfulness by Kabat-Zinn
- Non-judging. Observe your own experience with impartiality. Consciously observe your judgments and reactions to inner and outer experiences.
- Patience. We accept that things sometimes unfold at their own pace as a sign of wisdom, and we show patience by accepting this fact. Allow this to occur.
- Beginner’s Mind. By keeping our minds open and curious, we can be open to new possibilities and prevent ourselves from getting stuck in our routines.
- Trust. Get to know your feelings and develop an essential trust in yourself. Then, make mistakes without beating yourself up.
- Non-Striving. It’s about being here, right now, with yourself. Just observe what is happening and don’t try to change anything.
- Acceptance. Observe the situation as it is. This approach will help you act appropriately in life no matter what happens.
- Letting Go. Observing our inner experience reveals that the mind wants to hold onto specific thoughts, emotions, and situations. Allow yourself to experience what you are experiencing at that moment.
The Right Mind State
Be aware that you are now going to take time out, choose to relax and let go of all that is happening around you. Your mind should be free of anxiety and worry.
Be in the moment, be free, be spacious and let go. If you find it difficult to relax and let go, close your eyes, take a deep breath through your nose, hold it for a while, and breathe out through your mouth.
Do this a few times, concentrating on the rise and fall of your breath; this will help you become more relaxed.
