is a 15-minute high-quality hypnosis download by Andrew Johnson, with a gentle pace and soothing music. It's an edit of the excellent
full version. Short version also available as a
free iPhone App.
The 5-minute Vacation
takes you to a beautiful tropical beach.
There's nothing to do but wander along the seashore, then lie down on a sun lounger to soak up the tranquil surroundings. The
Mind-Body Relaxation uses a tense and release method to relax you, 7 minutes. Both from
Relax-Online (towards the middle of the page).
Muscular Relaxation
- Eva Johansson. A 'tense and release' session designed to relax both mind and body, complemented by some very relaxing music. 12 minutes. Comes as a lo-fi file of only 2.8Mb or a higher quality 10Mb download, from
Life's Driver's Licence.
by Philip Rogers is by some way the best short relaxation I've found: not free but well worth the 99p price tag [
five minute relaxation].
has a good, seven-minute audio
desktop relaxation routine, though audio quality is very basic.
University of Texas at Austin.
Four guided relaxations available as streaming audio.
Cruise Imagery is a boat trip to a secluded bay on a tropical island; a waterfall cascades from high cliffs into the sea below and exotic birds fly overhead (12 minutes).
Forest Imagery is set on a wooded hillside in autumn; late-afternoon sun filters down as you wander through trees and come to a log cabin. You step inside, and warm yourself in front of the gentle fire (18 minutes). Both visualisations have a simple but powerful style: no music, no sounds of nature, just a slow, rhythmic narrative with plenty of pauses giving time to savour the scenes you've created. Also includes a 7-minute
Deep Breathing exercise.
Note that clicking on 'sample' will in fact play the full length track.
Meditainment
has a short online "Rapid Relaxation" tool; to use it sign-up for free Meditainment free content, which also includes a free mp3 download. Be warned, though, that at the end of the relaxation, when you are hopefully feeling deeply relaxed, you do get hit by an ad asking you to pay for more. Meditainment have a comprehensive paid-for online relaxation service.
by Michelle Trantina/My Yoga Online.
A streaming video with instructions and beautiful images to help you recognise and transform patterns of stress and tension, and bring yourself to a place of grounded calm. This practice is designed to be done sitting in a chair, but can also be practiced lying down. 20 minutes.
My Yoga Online provides Yoga, Pilates and Meditation video and audio programs as streams and downloads. My Yoga Online.com is a subscription service but has kindly made this video stream available for free.
free
The Secret Garden. 'After a short breathing exercise, you imagine relaxing on a hammock in your own Secret Garden and achieve a meditative state, and have an opportunity to contemplate a personal issue of your choosing.' 20 minutes total. 14.4Mb free download from Meditainment.
Yoga Relaxation (yogic sleep) - Deborah Metzger. This purely mental exercise brings about deep relaxation without moving a muscle. 20 minutes, with beautiful accompanying music. 9Mb download from Princeton Center for Yoga and Health.
paid-for
offers a subscription service providing convenient and flexible Yoga, Pilates and Meditation video and audio programs via internet streams and for download to DVD or mp3 players.
Many of the guided relaxation cds reviewed on this site are now also available as mp3 downloads, including Complete Relaxation.
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