Recommendations for a healing guided imagery audio CD?

That's a great site, Piper's Dream! Thanks so much for sharing it.

My yoga instructor gives all her students a CD of relaxation meditations. I put it on my iPod and used it while in the hospital yesterday. It was very helpful to have and I highly recommend that approach.

I had listened to one series that's highly touted for cancer patients and hated every last one of them, so am happy to have found some other sources that I can enjoy.

I sit by the river often in the mornings and meditate. I gaze into the water and allow my mind to take me where it needs to go. Today was a self guided journey through periods of my life, looking back on it with the compassion for myself that I did not have back then. The perspective of hindsight with a full heart is very healing. The 8-9 years prior to diagnosis is still difficult to reflect on in a meditative state. Though it led to where I am today, full of life lessons, it was a very turbulent and trying time, which was also when my health was on a downward spiral. Reflecting on this stirs anxiety within. I know when i'm ready I will assimilate that period into my heart with joy. Other days by the river have involved a self guided journey within, challenging myself gently to find the 3- 5 words that represent who I am today. For example, I came up with peace, nature, health, and humanity. Then I would give each, or just one, my undivided attention, ask how this has come to represent me, then wait for the answers in silence, reflecting on my life and the lessons it has taught me. From there, I gain inspiration, am focused, and centered, so that my day ahead has fresh reminders of what is important. I also have a daily practice that is mostly in Spring and Summer months, when the days are longer, of watching the sunset...saying thank you and goodbye to my day. Consecutive days of this morning and evening practice, really helps me to feel grateful, and remember that I am truly blessed.

Cbaird 99. Yes I am fortunate to have the river just beyond my back yard. Water is so soothing and relaxing to watch.

I hope you can find some peace in knowing that for many..it gets easier with time.

lightandwind, I'm jealous too! I do live in the country though and sometimes I go stand outside barefoot and try to draw energy up from the ground and pray--there is something that is so invigorating about standing barefoot in the grass--there's a scientific explanation for that too--it's not just mental.

Also, I can relate to what you've said about finding peace with your turbulent time. I have many issues of my own and I've not always been proud of how I handled them, but one thing that I've picked up on lately is that I have handled them with great strength and sometimes in my meditation script I'll say something like, "Given the circumstances, no wonder I. . . ." I guess I'll throw out an example so you can see what I mean. When I was 16 I ran away from home and got picked up by the police and put in juvie. I was always kind of ashamed of that, because I was never abused and everyone thought my folks were great. But the truth is that my mother had pushed my back against the wall on a certain issue and I simply could not comply with her wishes even if I'd wanted to--it wasn't a thing for me but for her and she was very selfish. After I got picked up and they called my parents, mother came in and told them I was a horrible child and asked them to keep me and she simply could not handle me at all. When I pulled that issue out again to examine it, I realized that I handled it the only way I had left--it would not have helped to talk to my mother about it and tell her that I could not do what she wanted me to do, b/c I had already tried that and failed. I have realized that I actually handled the situation with great strength and it may not have been how others would have handled it but it was in character for me.

One thing that helped me to see this more clearly is that I would think of the situation as someone from the outside--given the same circumstances, what would I think of someone else who had done this? I guess it helps that I work with troubled teens now and perhaps my early experiences have helped me to be more understanding with them. One of my students is always getting into fights but maybe it's because her home life is so crazy that her mom's bf broke a beer bottle over her head when she was 8? No wonder she has anger issues!

Anyway, I love your meditation of finding 4-5 words to describe you. I'll start with one for myself and that is strength, since that's what I've been meditating on. And yes Cbaird, it does get easier. Once that first year is up you'll be amazed at how far you've come.

I have really enjoyed the guided meditations on this site:

http://gailbrenner.com/category/audio/

They are not cancer specific but I think that many of them address issues that we experience.

I was involved with a research project (for BC survivors) conducted by UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center ("MARC") and enjoyed the materials provided.

Their website has a number of free guided meditations "here" (although I don't think any of them are specifically cancer related). In addition, there are podcasts of the 30-minute guided meditation sessions that MARC holds weekly at UCLA's Hammer Museum. A number of those podcasts are available to be streamed or downloaded from "this page," again without cost.

HTH,

LisaAlissa