What used to pass as meditation CDs were often just gentle sounds of nature and music. Some may have used musical pieces by Bach and others that have been shown to alter brainwaves. Either of these were basically relaxing recordings which might have helped with meditation, but didn't induce a meditative state very efficiently.

The newest meditation CDs used brainwave entrainment technologies. They have beats and sounds, usually masked in nice music or the sound of rain or other nature sounds, which directly entrain your brainwaves, causing them to slow. Depending on the frequencies used, they will put you into an alpha state of consciousness or deeper.

They make meditation easy. Put on the headphones, turn on the recording, and then just sit back and listen. Soon your mind is slowing down. In fact, many people will fall asleep within ten minutes when listening laying down. That get's us to the point of this article. There are several ways to use this technology. Here are three.

Meditation

The primary use that most people have in mind when they think of Meditation CDs is exactly what you would think: They use them to meditate more easily. For this purpose you should get ones that last thirty minutes or more. Some programs have a series of recordings, that start at thirty minutes. Later CDs in the series last longer as well as bringing you down to a deeper state of consciousness.

Normally they are designed to be used with stereo headphones (almost all headphones are stereo now). Laying down may work for some, but if you fall asleep try using them while sitting in a chair or one of the classic meditation positions (cross-legged, for example). You can try standing as well, just to see if the effect is different for you.

Another interesting way to use them is to listen outdoors. This works best if you put the recordings onto an MP3 player. Then you can sit in a nice park or wilderness area, or perhaps in front of a pond, lake or river. Some people also enjoy walking while listening. The meditative state may not be as deep while walking, but it's a unique experience.

Meditation CDs as a Sleep Aid

As mentioned, listening while laying down often leads to sleep. This isn't a problem if you choose to use brainwave entrainment for this purpose. If you have insomnia you can put on the headphones and listen to go to sleep at night. For a nice "power nap" you can use a ten or fifteen minute recording.

Meditation CDs For Creativity

Yet another use for these recordings is for stimulating creativity. There are a couple ways to use them for this purpose. First, you can define the problem you're working on and then have a meditation session using the CD just before going to work on it. This will clear your mind and hopefully leave you open to more creative approaches.

Another technique is to listen to meditation CDs while brainstorming ideas. There is some evidence that we are at our most creative when in the "alpha state" (brainwaves at 8 to 24 hertz). The concentration of working on something may make it more difficult to reach this light meditative state, but it is worth a try.