Customer Reviews

Mindfulness of Breathing: Managing Pain, Illness, and Stress with Guided Mindfulness Meditation

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Mindfulness of Breathing recording uses focusing on the breath to bring peace and stillness to the body, releasing pain and tension. It helps us to 'come into the present moment', thus releasing the past and the future. I found Vidyamala's voice, in particular, full of compassion, gentleness and understanding, helping to enter a deep state of wellbeing and relaxation. The speed she moves throughout the meditation is just right, not too fast, not too slow. The recording shows what a great and deep understanding the speakers have of the body and the mind. I am sure this recording will help many others, from complete beginners to those with more experience, to make profound differences to their lives. I strongly recommend this CD.

I have a long standing back injury and have tried many many treatments from all sorts of disciplines. This mindfulness approach is the most effective thing I have ever done for my back pain. It is somehow ironic that switching from trying to treat or fix the pain to just living with it and managing it is what has worked, but there you are.... I really enjoy the slowing down that this CD brings for me. I got the benefits by using the CD over time so this is not a quick fix. But it does work.

This CD has really helped me develop more awareness in my life. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has a stressful job, as it can help you bring more spaciousness and calmness into the way you relate to the demands of the job. I know this from experience having worked as nurse, and now as a psychologist for a number of years. At the same time I can recommend this CD to both those who are new to meditation as well as those who are more experienced. Highly recommended!

As a teacher of meditation, I can say this CD is suitable for complete beginners; but as a longtime meditator I also found it an excellent companion to my practice: refreshing, calming and very clear.

This is an excellent support for breathing/mindfulness meditation practice. The option of led and unled practice sessions is really helpful - and Vidyamala's calming voice is a great bonus!

I've been using this CD for about two years, along with the Body Scan and Kindly Awareness, also by Vidyamala and Sona. Practising this meditation with the CD has helped me to live in the present moment, and this in turn has helped me to enjoy life much more. The ancient Greek Philosopher Epicurus thought that the main reason we suffer was to do with thoughts about that past and the future, and that if we could just stay with our present moment experience we would be happy. I agree with him and heartily recommend this CD as a way of doing just that.

I've had rheumatoid arthritis for almost 30 years, and I've learned that the pain is made far, far worse by the things I do with the pain, such as bracing for it, running from it, thinking "fixme fixme fixme," believing the pain is all my fault, etc. I've tried prayer, hypnosis, and various types of meditation to silence these pain-focusing crazies, but this CD does it best. The two meditation sessions--one led by a woman, the other by a man--gently encourage me to "give it up" and rest in the experiencing of the breath. Of course my mind wanders, and I'm ready to blame myself for that, too, but they tell me, so kindly, "not to give [myself] a hard time." The result is that I move from the suffocating focus on my aching joints into an awareness of the broad and varied landscape of my breath, my entire body. The pain becomes only a small part of the rich life that breathes through me. It is the most honest and dependable relief I've found.

I did not find it helpful. The audio was annoying during the moments of silence as the white noise was distracting. Perhaps it might appeal to some people who are really into this stuff but it was not relaxing for me. Reluctantly gets 3 stars!

Wonderful- who could have thought the breath could be so interesting and sooo relaxing.