Irish-born harpist Aine Minogue began releasing collections of Celtic and Irish folk music in 1994. Minogue's 2004 release 'Celtic Meditation Music' blended harp, cello, clarinet, whistles, guitar and violin on 12 meditative recordings of traditional songs. The album was recorded near the Lincoln Woods conservation area in Massachusetts not far from Walden Pond, the picturesque spot made famous by Henry David Thoreau.
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David Darling played cello in high school and has parlayed that talent into a 40-year recording career. 'Cello Blue' is one of his most celebrated meditation albums, combining an orchestra with piano and occasional nature sounds like chirping birds. In 2002 'Cello Blue' was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Age Album, an award Darling finally won in 2010 for 'Prayer for Compassion.'
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'Pacific Moon'
Gary Stroutsos
'Pacific Moon' was inspired by Gary Stroutsos' trip to Falcon Cove Beach, a secluded, forested area in Oregon. The flutist takes the listener through a day at the beach on an orderly sequence of tracks including 'Dawn,' 'Afternoon Wave,' 'Twilight' and 'Nights of Quiet Stars,' creating Native American tones with his extensive collection of various types of flutes.
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The most recent album on our list of the Top 10 Meditation Albums is 'Atmospheres,' a 2009 release by German musician Deuter, who has been recording instrumental new age music since 1971. The multi-instrumentalist accents minimal piano melodies with a hushed orchestral section on 'Deux,' sounds from nature on 'Drei' and 'Huit' and a haunting cello on 'Nine.'
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'Lifescapes Yoga: Relaxation'
Reyem Kir
Lifescapes Music specializes in albums with new age, Celtic and classical atmospheres. While the 'Yoga Flow' CD is specifically designed for a yoga session, 'Yoga: Relaxation' is a more meditative release featuring 10 tracks with melodies built around guitar, keyboards and piano. With titles like 'Calm Levitation,' 'Weightless Thought' and 'Soft Glow/Distant Echo,' this album was clearly created with meditation in mind.
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Saxophonist Paul Winter took extraordinary measures to achieve the exact sound he wanted on 'Canyon Lullaby,' lugging recording equipment into a remote spot in the Grand Canyon on three occasions. The Surround Sound recording captures every chirp and buzz of nearby birds and insects while the five-time Grammy winner's soprano sax echoes throughout the canyon on 18 original compositions.
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In 2002, veteran guitarist Ottmar Liebert released 'In the Arms of Love: Lullabies 4 Children and Adults,' a collection of 13 self-penned tracks. The serene songs range from 'Dreaming on the Starlight Train,' which includes a recording of chugging trains behind a down-tempo mix of acoustic and electric guitar, to the Eastern-flavored 'A Secret Garden,' which features a humming sitar in the background.
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03
'Reiki Healing Journey, Vol. 1'
Llewellyn
The Japanese spiritual healing practice reiki is built around the premise of staying healthy by raising your life force energy. New age artist Llewellyn's 'Reiki Healing Journey' includes an hour of music for reiki practitioners that complements the practice with peaceful, therapeutic tones, mostly created by piano and spacey keyboards. Llewellyn followed up the album with 'Reiki Gold' and 'Reiki Sleep.'
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'Yoga Zone: Music for Meditation'
Various Artists
Windham Hill's Yoga Zone series consists of 'Music for Yoga Practice' and 'Music for Meditation.' The latter showcases recordings by some of the top names in new age and ambient music. Ravi Shankar sets the tone for the meditation session with the mystical 'Shanti Mantra,' while Yanni contributes 'Before I Go,' a delicate piano-and-strings ballad that closes the album.
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'Zen Garden: Healing Waters'
Zen Garden
The 19 tracks on this Zen Garden album lives up to the 'Healing Waters' title by incorporating the sounds of mountain streams and rolling ocean waves. The emphasis is on the water, with stringed instruments creating light melodies that drift into the background. The relaxing vibe of the record makes it our choice to head the list of the Top 10 Meditation Albums.
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