Best Guided Sleep

For those looking to escape the day-to-day drudgery of the city, or the relentless inner monologue of their own mind, no one will blame them for wanting to relax with some ambient pan flute. But the reality is, when you're out in the world and emotions are running high, and anxiety is building, you might not be able to channel the comfort of your home stereo system and soothing spa sounds. "It's a matter of personal preference, and also of intention," says meditation teacher and author Sharon Salzberg. "If your intention is mostly to relax, and get to a calmer space, the music might help. If your intention is to see the patterns of your mind more clearly, silence might help."

City rain to relax and relieve stress at the end of a long day, or even to fall asleep. And you can make meditation as formal or informal as you like, however it suits your lifestyle and situation. Some people build meditation into their daily routine. For example, they may start and end each day with an hour of meditation.

In this way we learn to be at peace with ourselves. Listening to music while meditation makes that process impossible. You’ll never learn to be deeply at peace with yourself if you’re dependent on music. Traditionally, the idea nature sounds of listening to music while meditating would be completely out of the question. In no Buddhist lineage that I know of is there any kind of musical accompaniment to sitting meditation.

For example, if you always queue up the same song every time you're about to start meditating, it will serve as a signal that it's time to start relaxing and focusing inward. "The music becomes part of the habit much in the same way other types of music might motivate you on your morning run," Alana says. That said, Alana does say there are certain times when music really can enhance your practice, such as if you're meditating somewhere loud and busy (airport pre-boarding meditation, anyone?). Music can help drown out those other noises and bring your focus inward. "The idea of meditation is to withdraw the senses from the outside world to focus on your inner world and through that focus, create a singular point of concentration," she says. "Here is when many teachers suggest focusing on the breath, but focusing on music can do the trick, too."

If you find the music brings lots of thoughts, memories, and internal dialogue, switch to a different type of music. Instrumental music can come in many forms, including classical, jazz, new age, and more, and it can be less distracting than other types of music. All of these can help a busy mind settle down for a better meditation experience, especially if you are a beginner. Just make sure you keep the volume not too high, maybe place the speaker on the far side of the room to soften the experience. These being excellent examples of ambient music, maybe minus the drums, also serve as wonderful background music for keeping stress levels at bay. Pay attention to your direct experience of the body, your feelings, and your mind, without trying to add anything to the situation.