We all seem to first come to meditation with fixed ideas about what it is, what it can accomplish, how it should be practiced and how it should not.  Some people approach with hope in the vanguard; others come as Thomas, jamming fingers of doubt into the stigmata because, well, just how real could it possibly be? Perhaps most are simply trying to lower their blood pressure.

Only a handful of my initial ideas about meditation have been reinforced over time.  Some have been lost entirely, others seem to have been shifted in focus. Totally new realms of bodymind experience have blossomed into my consciousness.  I have many fewer fixed ideas about meditation than I did ten years ago.  Fewer even than I had yesterday.

I began making a commitment to meditation in 1989. Over the years, it has influenced my work as a film composer in a ways too deep to explain even to myself.  There are layers to my scores that, ostensibly, have had nothing to do with the actual job at hand, but I feel that my real work lies in the attempt to explore these layers while still delivering what’s needed, emotionally & technically, for picture.  Added value, if you will. 

Outside of my film scoring work, I’ve been creating a growing body of music to help myself in specific meditation practices, both seated and moving. There is no shortage of music designed to encourage relaxation.  My goal, however, is not to boldly go where everyone else is already going, and certainly not to go where they’ve already been.  Beyond relaxation is an infinitely energized motion which can be brought into conscious awareness through the mindfulness that evolves out of regular meditation. That’s where my own commitment finds focus.  I compose these meditation tracks as part of my work with that breath, that motion, that nexus of experience.  The pieces help me journey farther than I think I can, and still find my way back home.

Curious if I could be of help to others in practicing meditation when there’s not much time (a notion that seems equal parts absurd and practical), I decided to carefully excerpt some of the material I compose into shortened versions.  You’ll notice that these shortened tracks have no voice guide.  Like ambient and relaxation music, there are many voice-guided meditations available to us; I see no reason to reinvent that highly useful wheel. This is a different way to spin.  If you listen to these tracks a couple of times, you’ll find a wordless structure to help you delve into specific meditation. Some will help you in higher etheric work if you are so inclined.  As with all meditation, both seated and moving, one always begins with the breath.

Thank you for creating time to meditate.  My experience is that our efforts have meaning.