What Worked For Me...

Personally, I like the sound of the ocean. I find it relaxing and the rhythm of the waves going back and forth has a knack for shutting out unwanted thoughts. I find that I am mentally following the waves, even when I can only hear them. To that end, I went and bought a Beethoven CD that is laid over the sounds of the ocean. It's pretty neat. It only has two songs, Moonlight Sonata (my favorite) and Ode to Joy. Each one is about 25 minutes or so and is played softly over the background of ocean waves.

I use this CD to meditate. I rotate between Moonlight Sonata and Ode to Joy, but I get up in the mornings and sit in my quiet space with my music and I dump all thoughts, just relaxing my mind and body. I also incorporate diaphragmatic breathing, which helps lower blood pressure. When I do this, I feel much better in the mornings and my days tend to be a little better. I'm definitely cranky when I miss my morning meditation!