Meditation Tapes and CDs

Guided Meditations - Bodhipaksa.
The narrator has a soft, calming voice that gently takes you through each meditation, stage-by-stage, and makes the whole process fairly simple. It begins with the classic meditation on the breath (27mins),  Mindfulness of Breathing. Also includes a meditation to nurture Loving Kindness (compassion for yourself and all others) and a Walking Meditation. This is Amazon's best-selling meditation CD - not surprising considering the superb customer reviews it gets. The meditations are Buddhist in origin but no spiritual beliefs are involved and, as Buddhists have been meditating for nearly 3,000 years, they know a thing or two about how to meditate. Guided Meditations for Stress Reduction is also worth a look.
CD from Wildmind Buddhist Meditation US$14.95 + shipping: US - $2.50; Can approx $3, UK approx $5. Or buy as an MP3 download for $9.95. CDs also from Amazon.com; Amazon.ca; Amazon.co.uk.

Breathing Peace - Richard Farmer
A simple yet effective method, ideal for beginners. The session begins by setting up a comfortable, balanced posture and relaxing the whole body. Then, with the out breath, the emphasis is on releasing and letting go. This sets up a state of receptivity for the in breath, so that with it you experience each new moment as it comes.  The Peace of Stillness. 24 minutes. Track 2 is a meditation for the heart, 22 minutes.
Tapes £8 (plus £1.50 p&p) from Living Dharma Tapes. All tapes now available on CD for £10 (plus £1.75 p&p). E-mail, t 01432 840860.

Learn to Meditate Kit - Patricia Carrington.
A comprehensive course teaching 'Clinically Standardized Meditation', which was developed purely as a relaxation technique. An instruction manual and four audio tapes guide you step by step; the emphasis is on making meditation as easy as possible ( sample) with advice on adapting the technique to suit each individual; much of the course is devoted to overcoming problems that might occur. I am not a natural meditator and had made several previous attempts to learn, but using this course I was finally able to establish a regular and satisfying practice. Not cheap, but well worth it if you have problems learning meditation.
£25 plus £2.75 p&p from Opal, used copies area available too e.g. from Amazon.co.uk . US$39.95 + shipping of $7.50 (US)/$10.50 (Can) from EFT

Vipassana Meditations - Ram Dass
If you have done some meditation before you might enjoy these practices of extended focus on the breath  Vipassana. The tape also includes a short mantra meditation and a Q&A session.
Tapes £8 (plus £1.50 p&p) from Living Dharma Tapes. All tapes now available on CD for £10 (plus £1.75 p&p). E-mail, t 01432 840860.

Beginning Meditation Class - Jim Malloy.
Each of these four simple meditations uses a different element as the focus for your attention. The first uses the breath; you are gently guided into the meditation ( sample), then continue for about ten minutes with music playing and the occasional gentle reminder to bring your attention back to the breath if it has drifted off - then the exercise is brought to a close. All the meditations have a similar format; one uses a mantra as the focus, another uses the light on the inside of your closed eyelids, while a fourth, Spiritual Sun, focuses on the more spiritual aspects of meditation. Includes a booklet with tips and information to get you started; e-mail support is also available. 56 minutes in total, on CD.
$19 (about £12) inc. shipping to anywhere in the world from World Wide Online Meditation Center. 30-day money-back guarantee

'Be disciplined about getting to the meditation cushion, but lazy when you get there'
- unknown source

Guided Meditations - Diana Lampen.
These ten short stilling practices use classic meditation techniques such as using a mantra and meditation on a candle flame; some of the relaxations also use imagery (imagine you're a bird riding a thermal...). A good way to try out different techniques and ideal if you just want a short relaxation, sample.
Tapes £6/CDs £8 inc. p&p worldwide, from Diana Lampen

Breath of Time 2 - Charles Vald
A good sound track for meditating on the breath. Ethereal synthesised music is mixed with the soothing sounds of flowing water, and the pace of breathing is set by the gentle chiming of a bell. Side 1 has five bells a minute ( sample), side 2 just three bells a minute (30 minutes each side).
£9.99 inc. p&p from Hypnosis Health Care (more samples); $19.99 inc. shipping worldwide.

Where to browse for more tapes & CDs
Sounds True has a vast catalogue of meditation tapes & CDs, many with audio clips. Amazon's Relaxation and Meditation cassettes category ( Amazon.com) has many meditation tapes, and The Inner Bookshop also has a good selection.