How to Meditate With Classical Music

Meditation is a wonderful way to get in touch with yourself on a daily basis. By taking time out to sit still, and concentrate on your breathing and classical music, you can help your mind alleviate stress and anxiety all throughout the day.

Instructions

1. Find a quiet, peaceful place in your home where you can be alone and undisturbed to meditate. Make sure you have a means of playing your classical music, preferably from a CD or MP3 player. This way you won't have the interruptions of DJs or commercials to distract you.

2. Get comfortable. Most people meditate on a mat or on the floor, but if you have sensitive knees or joints that make this impossible, get a comfortable cushion or chair that allows you to sit comfortably for long periods of time.

3. Begin playing the classical music, and regulate the volume so that it is not too loud or too soft. You must be able to hear it, but it should not be so loud that you cannot hear yourself breathe.

4. Close your eyes, and begin meditating by concentrating on your breathing. Listen to yourself inhale, and feel the breath go into your nose and down into your lungs. Slowly exhale and concentrate again on the feeling of the breath. Continue your slow breathing until you feel relaxed and ready to empty your mind of all extraneous thought.

5. Focus your mind on the music as you empty your mind of thoughts. Listen to the different instruments in the music, and make an attempt to concentrate on one set of instruments at a time. By focusing your mind solely on the music, your breathing begins to calm and your focus spreads outward.

6. Push thoughts away as they come. Listen to the music, but if it begins to remind you of something, or brings back stories or anecdotes, let them surface in your mind and then send them away. As you meditate with classical music, the sessions should be about outward focus on the sounds and sensations that the music brings to your body. It should never become about reminiscing or concentrating on anxiety or your stressful life.

7. Choose classical music that you enjoy, but it is important to change things around while you continue to meditate on a daily basis. Focusing on new sounds, strings and arrangements help to keep you focused on the music being played. If you listen to the same songs day after day, they may begin to be background noise as you meditate.