Alternatives To Meditation

Meditation is often suggested as a good way to spiritually advance. However what if you're just not that into it? I'm not keen on it myself and I know that some others aren't either. Some people have the viewpoint that meditation is the only way to grow spiritually. I'm more inclined to take the viewpoint that there are many ways to grow and learn, especially if you follow the Law of Attraction, which is all about feeling good.

Sometimes I have found meditation helpful, like when I did the May Cause Miracles program last year. That was one of the times when I first felt it "working". If you'd like more info about meditation and how to meditate, visit this post: http://personalexcellence.co/blog/how-to-meditate-in-5-simple-steps/

But if you'd like to try something different, here are some alternatives. :)


Music

If you're into music (like I am) then you may find it helpful to listen to relaxing music. It could be different types like instrumental, chanting, gentle lyrics etc. Or just anything you like. I find some pop and R'n'B songs relaxing.

A piece of music I really like is Dance of Autumn Lights by Ivo Sedlacek. He is a Czech violinist and his pieces of music are quite long, around 15 minutes, so you can just relax while listening to them.  Dance of Autumn Lights sometimes puts me in a kind of meditative state. You can listen to it here: Ivo Sedlack- Dance of Autumn Lights

Here's another nice piece by Ivo called Colour of the Leaves:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG6biHA91TU

Update 25/11/18: Video is now unavailable.

Note: I just saw on Ivo's website that his music is listed under meditation. :)


Another piece of music that I like is Raga Shivranjani played by Prasad Bhandarker on the Bansuri (Indian bamboo flute). It's really beautiful. :) Listen here: Raga Shivranjani on Bansuri

My Healing Tools

I've had depression since I was about 14, also OCD and anxiety since around the same time. I got into self help when I was in my late teens/early 20s because I wanted to feel better. I go through phases of feeling better than others and I do feel better now than I did a few years ago. I still struggle though, with having good days and bad days and I'm not at the point where I'd like to be. But some days I feel happier than I did, so that's a positive.


I thought I'd share a few of the things that have helped me, my "healing tools". I hope that someone else will find them useful. :)


Music

I love music. I've been really into it since I was about 12. (Before then I did like it but I didn't listen as much). I think the first single I got was Belinda Carlisle's Love In The Key of C (cassette tape) and the first album I bought was Mariah Carey's Butterfly (tape). The first CD single I bought was Solid HarmoniE's I Wanna Love You. I like different types but my favourites are pop, R'n'B, rap and foreign language like Hindi, J-pop and K-pop. I enjoy listening to music and getting lost in it.

Lots of people recommend meditation as a spiritual tool and to help you relax but I've never been that keen on it. I do meditate occasionally (I recently followed the May Cause Miracles course and meditation was a big part of that) and sometimes I enjoy it more than others but I find it much more relaxing to listen to music.

If you're into music and want to hear some relaxing pieces, I'd recommend Ivo Sedlacek's violin music. Here's Dance of Autumn Lights: Ivo Sedlack- Dance of Autumn Lights

I often post that about music on my  blog Star Sparkle Blog, so check that out if you're interested: http://starsparklex.blogspot.co.uk

Silent Moon

This is a really beautiful piece of music called Silent Moon, also by Jia Peng Fang. It's melancholy but relaxing. The video is nice as well. Hope you enjoy it! :)



                                         Silent Moon- Jia Peng Fang

Cherry Blossoms

I thought I would post this video of a piece of music called Cherry Blossoms by Chinese erhu player Jia Peng Fang. It's a beautiful, relaxing piece of music.

For more on Jia Peng Fang, visit this link: http://www.pacificmoon.com/html/erhu.html