When you try your hand at meditation, you’ll need to accept that it’s a learning process. Very few people “get it” their first time around. Before you begin, it’s important that you find the right place to meditate in, have comfortable seating and, above all, choose the right music. While Metallica or Britney Spears may move your behind while you’re cleaning the house or driving to work, neither will be the best choice for meditation. Here’s how to choose the best music for relaxation:

1.Dump the Metal

Whether you’re preferred genre is metal, rap or country, you’ll have to expand your horizons. Anything that makes you tap your feet, bang your head or snap your fingers should be ditched. The goal of meditation is to quiet your mind, not jump start your body. If you don’t believe it, give your favorite music a try and see what happens. Chances are you’ll be singing along, the music will spark memories and, before you know it, you’ll be thinking about everything but meditation.

2.Experiment

Once you realize the error of your ways in trying to meditate to Jimmy Buffet, it’s time to start experimenting. Many beginning practitioners find that compositions by Bach are the most relaxing. If Bach isn’t your thing, try music from Beethoven or Handel. For other practitioners, Indian sitar compositions work well, and still others have found the soft jazz helps to quiet the mind. If you find yourself straining to hear the music because you find it so interesting, keep searching. The goal is to find music that relaxes you, not perk up your ears in attention.

New Headphones

3.Binaural Beats

If you’ve never practiced meditation, using music infused with binaural beats may sound a bit hippie-dippy to you. Don’t let your initial impression cloud your judgment. There has been much research conducted into the effectiveness of binaural beats and the human mind. These cyclical beats are meant to entertain your mind, allowing you to enter a state of deep relaxation without having to think about doing so. You can find dozens of apps and recordings that contain these sounds.

4.Skip It

If you can’t meditate with noise in the background, don’t stress out about it. Not everyone needs or desires music as a backdrop to their meditation. Turn off the music altogether if you find it too distracting. Instead, you may find it comforting to turn a fan on, listen to a white noise machine or even tune the television to static. What you don’t want to do is concentrate on the noises outside of your window. If you live in an urban area, car horns, children playing and even birds singing can be distracting to your practice.

5.Guided Meditation

If you’re still having difficulty meditating after you think you’ve found the perfect soundtrack, give guided meditation a try. Beginners often find that visualizations help them to quiet their minds and focus on relaxation. In guided meditation, a narrator leads you through a scene, allowing you to concentrate on a calming, tranquil picture in your mind. If you choose guided meditation, find a narrator who has a soothing voice. Like music, the tone of someone’s voice can be a help or a hindrance.

Meditation is a practice that takes practice. If you aren’t able to relax the first time you try to meditate, don’t give up. Once you find the right space, the right time and the right music, you’ll find that relaxing becomes much easier. If you’ve given up on meditation, do a bit of research and try it again; the benefits it will bring to your body and mind are worth the effort.

Mia Lenney is an avid yoga and fitness blogger. If you are looking for good meditation music, check out sites featuring zen tracks.

By: Melanie