I recently revised and updated my Crown Chakra Healing package. While doing so, I replaced an old meditation (one of the first ones I ever made!) with a brand new one. This new meditation is definitely one of my favorites, and I've even been playing it to fall asleep at night.

The Golden Ball meditation will deeply connect you to your Higher Self while bringing healing into your mind and body. It's very soothing and can be used for relaxation, healing and deep meditation. Right now, there are two lengths included - a 15 minute version and a 25 minute version. I'm planning on adding a 1 hour version for anyone else who uses it as a sleep aid. If you buy now, you will automatically be updated when I add that.

With the two versions, you'll be able to choose between a lighter and deeper meditation experience. When I add the one hour version the price will go up slightly. Click the button below to learn more and purchase this powerful meditation!

If you don't already have a meditation practice, there is no better time than now to start one. If you do have one, this article will help you to deepen your understanding of how important it is. It will also help you to share with others why you meditate and believe it is part of an overall healthy life.

Study after study has shown that people who meditate regularly have reduced inflammation, higher white blood cell counts, lower blood pressure and healthier gene expression (their genes literally changed as they practiced meditation). If you feel you are more susceptible to this virus due to genetics, high blood pressure, or inflammation, grab the nearest pillow and start meditating. 

If you've never meditated before, the Calm app has a wonderful step by step introduction program. You can also find thousands of free meditations on the Insight Timer app and YouTube. You can also explore my selection of guided meditations here.

​I have recently discovered the Meditative Story podcast and I am so happy I did so. If you ever find yourself looking for a mindfulness-inspired story you can listen to while walking, driving, or just sitting around listening to the rain on the window, this is it.

I have long wished for something I could listen to that would hit that sweet spot of being uplifting and centering without being either too calming or too active. I wanted to listen to something that would calm my mind without being so calming I'd fall asleep while driving. I also wanted something that was a more immersive and interactive experience than a one on one interview.

I have found just what I was looking for in Meditative Story. It reminds me of what I felt when I began listening to Imagined Life (another fantastic immersive podcast I highly recommend!). When I began listening to Imagined Life I felt transported into the highs and lows of different people's journeys. I loved feeling as if I was overcoming my fears and limitations with them as they took me through their triumphs and defeats.

Meditative Story is different than Imagined Life, and you will have to listen to both to see which one truly fits you. One of the main differences is that Meditative Story is narrated by the storyteller, where as Imagined Life has its own narrators. 

You can try an episode of Meditative Story below. I chose this one because David Duchovny's voice is so perfect for this type of thing. So far, I have loved every episode I have played. I have found that they help me to face my own problems, as each one navigates something we can all relate to - fear, loss, vulnerability and so on. And when I'm stuck in traffic, I hardly notice as I breathe, relax, and fall into a moment of blissful mindfulness.
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Below is a little bit from the meditativestory.com website. If you want to try out this groundbreaking mindfulness experience, you can find them on Spotify, Apple, and Google podcast.

This meditation is a re-creation of one I previously made for Raise Your Vibration in 5 Minutes. This new version is completely redone and recreated from the ground up. It is 8 minutes long and will give you an immersive experience with the feelings of excitement, abundance, and divine support. By the end of the meditation, you will feel as if incredible new blessings are on their way, ready to show up in your life.

This meditation is part of the 30 Day Vibration Raising Journey. If you would like to experience high vibrations, inner peace, miraculous break throughs, and more, join this 30 day journey! It comes with 30 unique daily meditations, a personal journal, and is unlike any other.

Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

I recently discovered an app that said it could create psychedelic like experiences without any drugs or substances.

​My curiosity was piqued, as I have been exploring microdosing psilocybin, which is the active ingredient in mushrooms, for the last few months. I had heard mushrooms could help with treatment resistant depression, and I have been afflicted with anxiety and depression ever since I was a kid. 

The mushrooms provided mostly good results, and I do believe in their benefits. Despite my success with them, I was often nervous if I took too much I'd feel like I'd lost control. Thus, I was willing to give this app a try, which claimed I could turn the "experience" off at any time.

​According to this new app, all I needed was a dark room and the flashlight on my phone. I was intrigued but also skeptical. What was this bizarre technology and how on earth would my phone flashlight induce a deeply introspective, meditative state?

I needed to know more and so I downloaded the Lumenate app. I'd heard about it from Rosamund Pike, and this is what she said about it in an Instagram post:

Before I tell you about my experience with it, a word of caution. This app works by pulsing the flashlight on your phone at your closed eyes. If you suffer from seizures or are sensitive to strobing lights, do not use this app. It's also important not to use it if you've been drinking, as that will have adverse effects. I would also advise you to take caution if you are prone to migraines. I am not a doctor and cannot advise you on whether or not it's safe to use this app.

Yes, I know it seems weird to have a medical caution for an app. Is it really that intense? I would say that yes, it is, and from my initial experience it's highly effective. After one night of use, I believe in this technology and am excited to explore it more. Here's how my initial experience went:

The day I downloaded the app I was feeling tired. I'd been feeling tired for over a week. It's the way I get when I'm depressed, but I didn't feel depressed. I couldn't say exactly what was wrong, only that I wasn't interested in anything, and I was struggling to get through each day. It was perhaps the beginning of a depressive episode, but I hadn't yet gotten past the initial stage where I just feel like I'm in a funk.

As had become my recent habit, I was sitting around watching reruns of a show I found comforting. Unmotivated to do anything else, I thought, why not try the app? I have nothing to lose.

I went into my room and turned off all the lights. I closed the door, sat down, and opened up the app. I went to the introductory experience and hit play. I put on noise cancelling headphones and listened as I was instructed on what to do.

A few wees ago, I felt guided to listen to The Golden Thread guided meditation every day for 40 days.

I created this meditation a few years ago (it's the first one I made!), and I play it from time to time, but this was the first time I got a specific message about it: try it for 40 days in a row and see what happens.

​I wasn't sure why, except for the knowing that doing something for 40 days can be a sacred and life changing experience. 

Now that I'm half way through it, I'm starting to understand what this is doing for me.

Usually, when people play this meditation they have a vivid dream, either right after playing it or after a few listens. I'm 20 days in, and although I've had interesting dreams thus far, last nights' was one that really told me something special was happening. In the dream I had traveled somewhere else, somewhere I can't recall, only that it wasn't where I live.

I had two choices: go back to where I was and what I had been doing, or follow whales as they swam around the earth.

When I saw the whales I knew instantly, I would follow them, and I did. Watching them swim and traveling through the oceans was the most beautiful, open, free and happy dream I've had in a long time. 

I believe part of the reason this meditation creates vivid and interesting dreams is because the imagery works on very deep levels of the psyche. There is the conscious experience you have while you play it, what you feel in your body, and then there are subconscious things happening that unfold and reveal themselves over time.

​The meditation guides you to look up to see a large white cloud. Hanging from the bottom of the cloud is a beautiful golden thread. The thread comes down from the sky, weaves through your entire body, and then drops into the soil, spreading out like roots. This is a very calming and serene experience, and one that will help you to feel supported and highly energized in the present moment.