Unquestionably, the fundamental obstacle to developing strength in contemplation is relentless distraction from internal chatter, daydreams, and/ or external sounds and movement. In the following recommended recordings, music is the object of concentration. In this playlist, however, the music and sounds are the primary focus. In some, the artists have deliberately applied entrainment theory to their musical compositions, which means they use binaural sounds (different tones in each ear) to create the illusion of a beat at carefully calibrated frequencies. Listeners are meant to focus their attention solely and directly on the sounds of the track itself.
Disrupted sleep patterns are common in busy, screen-driven modern lives. These contemplations present iterations of several popular aural remedies, from sleep yoga that guides progressive relaxation in the body, to visualization and bedtime narratives, to binaural music that helps the brain decelerate into lower frequency wave patterns conducive to a good night’s rest.
While all contemplative techniques relate to self-care or -development in some respect, this category specifically addresses thought patterns that may keep you down and hold you back. These can manifest as hard resistance to giving yourself a break, as the belief you don’t deserve kindness, love, or the respect of others, and as debilitating self-critique. These guided instructions invite listeners to deliberately affirm the positive aspects of themselves and their lives while addressing these negative thoughts with new patterns of acceptance and warmth.
Relaxing the mind and body has been the foundation of contemplative practice for millennia. When stressed and anxious, it can be difficult to concentrate, accomplish tasks, attain your goals, and enjoy the positive circumstances that are present right in front of you. In neurobiological terms, relaxation techniques activate the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby undermining the natural but often overactive physiology of the body’s stress response through deliberately engaging slow, deep breathing.
Insight Timer offers an array of resources specifically designed to help ease the stress caused by the challenges and uncertainties of the Coronavirus pandemic. While many of the other recommendations in this guide such as those under Resources for Relaxation at Ease can also help relax and redirect the mind during this difficult time, the resources listed here directly addresses the experience of living through the present pandemic.
Contemplation is often thought of as something you do with the mind; the body is just the thing that gets us to the cushion so we can start our contemplation and then distracts us with discomfort when we do! However, many contemplative traditions deeply integrate body practices into their total regimen, for one objective is not just to develop awareness when formally practicing in stillness, but to apply that awareness to everything we do, no matter the activity, whether in stillness or in motion. The guided content below provides instructions for mindfully experiencing the body in states of rest as well as states of movement.
This playlist includes guided practices and talks focused on the intersection of contemplation and racial justice. The practice of contemplation can fortify efforts toward racial justice in a number of ways—cultivating awareness, supporting activism, facilitate creativity, and promoting self-transformation. The talks included on this playlist cover a broad range of themes and perspectives on racial justice, many of which complement and build on the others. The guided practices involve a mix of meditations, affirmations, movement, and creative practices that address various dimensions of racial justice.
Some of the most prevalent forms of contemplative practice are designed to help the practitioner relax by calming the mind and body and/or develop concentration, the ability to focus attention for sustained periods. Both objectives are usually pursued by means of the same contemplative technologies, which are considered foundational.
CSC staff have created several different playlists of recommended Insight Timer recordings with annotated guides to the recordings included in each list. These playlists are grouped by general purpose or by type of practice or recording. Note that for ideal functionality, it is best to link to these resources via the Insight Timer app on your mobile device rather than through the Insight Timer website.
