A Chakra Meditation [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

I have a post-traumatic stress-syndrome, and as a result, am suffering from depression and some mild phobias. Those disorders have been treated in a therapy, but my therapist advised me, that I should practise "soul hygiene" regularly, for example in the form of meditations. So I have quiet a bit practise in meditation on my own, however, due to certain stressfactors in my life, I was recently not able to "get into the mood".

That was when I decided to buy this CD. I had some misgivings about CDs like this before and only reluctantly bought it. But I have to say, I am converted.

I have been listening to this CD for only six weeks now. It has a very comprehensive approach, covering everything from a feeling of security, to creativity, loving relationships and the ability to express your feelings, etc.
This is done using the ancient Asian philosophy of the Chakras, energy centers that are distributed throughout your torso and head. Each has a specific meaning and you are asked to connect to those meanings: Rooting to earth, enjoying a creative sexuality, loving relationships, and connect to your sense of intuition, etc. After each connection, you will be listening to affirmations in tune with the theme of the chakra.

I was very positively surprised how, despite the esoteric sounding title, this is firmly based in the latest psychological findings.
For example, the affirmations seem to wander from one side of your head to the other if you listen, as recommended, with headphones. This is supposed to activate both sides of your brain and is a technique that is also used in psychotherapy.
I was also surprised to observe the effects of this CD. I tend, when I am insecure about something, to push my voice down and make it deeper than it actually is. This has become so much a habit, that I am constantly being told how deep my voice is for a woman. Just two days after I started this meditation, some of my colleagues observed how my voice suddenly sounded a lot higher!
I also observed about myself that in situations that would have made me tense only a couple of weeks before, I am now decidedly more relaxed and find it easier to deal with.

The Music, too, is very well done. Not at all annoying, as I anticipated, but each chakra is only accompanied by an arrangement around one note.

So, if this is such a great buy, why do I only give it four instead of five points? Well, I found one or two things at a fault with it. One of them being, that you are asked to repeat the affirmations out loud together with the speaker. However, when meditating, you will be in a relaxed breathing rythem, and repeating at the same time will in most cases interrupt that breathing rythem. In addition to that, he repeats each affirmation several times, in a very quick succession. This is impossible to do when in deep breathing. I tried, it brought me totally out of the relaxed state I was in.
I think the listener would be better advised to only repeat the affirmations internally.

Another point is, that the speaker's accent is, indeed, initially distracting. I got used to it by now and don't mind it anymore. But it took a few listen-tos to get used to it.
What I find more problematic, is that you have to listen to the whole stuff about how to use this CD before every meditation. Granted, this only lasts for 15 seconds, but I AM an impatiant woman.

All in all I can recommend this meditation for everyone who wants to lower their stresslevel and balance their emotional life.

Unlike one of the previous reviewers, I like Glenn Harrold's voice a lot, and boy, I am fussy! I have looked for hypnosis/relaxation CDs I like - no, I can tolerate - for a while, and so far, all factors considered, I think Glenn is the best.

The recording quality and use of music on his CDs are spot on - very unobtrusive, relaxing, not distracting. His voice has a pleasant, deep timbre, but if you have issues with Cockney accents, you will have to look elsewhere.

I can see what the other reviewer meant by incongruence, as Glenn sounds like a honey-voiced Eastenders character, not a Yogi or lentilpopper, he sounds very down-to-earth, matter-of-fact and unpretentious. This is not an issue for me as his voice and accent are relaxing and familiar to me, preferable to, say, a more unfamiliar American accent.

Some of Glenn's CDs have quite ambitious, extreme-sounding and at times grammatically odd affirmations, which is a minor niggle I have with them. I found this to be less the case with this more low-key, gentle recording - hence it's one of my favourites (I have three of his CDs so far). If you just want to have a nice time relaxing, listening to a smooth, reassuring voice, rather than stop smoking or become a superhuman being, this is the CD to go for.

This Chakra Meditation CD is the latest release in a long line of superb therapeutical recordings by clinically trained hypno-expert, Glenn Harrold.
I am not entirely au fait with the origins of Chakra but it appears to be a metaphysical gift of the Orient. From what I can glean from this CD's content, Chakras are energy centres found on various parts of the body. Each one has a different colour associated with it and resonates to the sound of a certain musical note. Starting with the base Chakra, you progress up the body stopping at various points along the way to imagine the associated colour and to listen to the relevant note. The whole effect is supposed to be extremely relaxing and, yes, it does deliver the goods!
Personally I am not sure how successful this latest release will be as a seller. Most of the harmonious experiences on this CD can be gained from using other titles in this wonderful series.
Glenn Harrold, perhaps in fear of repeating himself, has branched out with this recording. It is certainly something very refreshing and full marks must be given for attempting to educate the uninitiated (myself, in this particular case).
If you are new to this self-help series, I would urge you to try - Unleash Your True Potential. As for the Harrold hardcore of which I am one, go out and grab a copy. It is certainly an interesting take on the familiar self-healing topic.