Stoic Meditation Exercises

You can download from the links below for your MP3 players or listen online by clicking through.

Instructions for Audio Recordings
Some people have asked for more guidance on when and how to use the audio recordings.  All recordings are in MP3 format and can be downloaded, usually by right-clicking on the link and selecting “Save as…”, although this depends on the browser you’re using.  People using iPhones or other Apple devices may have to import the MP3 files to their iTunes library to play them on their devices, unless they’re using a third-party app.  MP3 files are playable on almost any device, though.  You’ll find it much easier to use these recordings on headphones.

Morning and Evening Meditation Routine
These are longer, optional recordings starting with some explanation, followed by an exercise. If you want to you can listen to these the first time you do the daily morning and evening routines, to help give yourself more structure, but don’t worry if you don’t have time, just use the shorter recordings, or do the morning and evening routines yourself, by following the instructions in the Handbook.

Morning Meditation Routine

Evening Meditation Routine

Morning and Evening Meditation (Exercise Only)
We recommend listening to these the first time you do the morning and evening meditation, to help guide you and provide some structure to the exercise.  They’re quite brief but will help by providing an example of how  to approach these daily exercises.

Morning Meditation Routine (Exercise Only)

Evening Meditation (Exercise Only)

Stoic Attitudes Meditation Script
This is optional but many people have reported finding it useful and some participants, previously, listened to it every day.  It contains some relaxation exercises and scripted Stoic affirmations, similar to the attitudes in SABS.  If you don’t have much time, you may just want to listen to this on the first or second day of Stoic Week.  This is a mainly verbal contemplative exercise.

Stoic Attitudes Meditation Script

Stoic Mindfulness and Premeditation Exercise
This is a longer and more challenging exercise.  It’s intended for use on Saturday (Day 6 of Stoic Week), which is entitled “Preparation for Adversity”, and based around the same concept.  This is a more visual contemplative exercise.

Stoic Mindfulness and Premeditation Exercise

The View from Above
Our previous feedback suggested this was among the most popular exercises.  It’s a bit longer than some of the others but not very demanding.  This is designed to be done on Sunday (Day 7 of Stoic Week), which is entitled “The View from Above” and based around the same concept.  This is a much more visual contemplative exercise.

The View from Above Exercise

24 thoughts on Stoic Meditation Exercises

  1. rosiewillow says:

    Heard of this on Today this morning and am really interested. Have listened to the first recording and it is exactly what I had hoped for. Unfortunately I could only listen to it on my laptop. I may be missing something but I cannot see how to download it to my Iphone so I can listen to it while travelling – my best thinking time. Hope you can help.

    • Eileen Baird says:

      I use Firefox but IE will work the same. Right click on the link and select “Save Link As” (or IE equivalent) and select location. The type, mp3, will already be selected. Then transfer to your iplayer from your laptop.
      EileenB

  2. Steven says:

    Thanks, I have downloaded all the recordings and transferred them to my ipod.

  3. […] You can find audio resources (guided meditations to download) for the course here. […]

  4. […] MP3 audio files are also available from this page on the Stoicism Today website.  Some people have told us they find it tricky to play MP3 files on iPhones or other […]

  5. gssq says:

    A guide as to what to listen to at which stage would be good
    I’m guessing “Morning Meditation Routine” is for the morning and “Evening Meditation Routine” for the evening, but when do we use the full Routine and when do we use just the Exercise?
    When do we use:
    “Stoic Mindfulness and Premeditation Exercise” (Tuesday?)
    “The View from Above Exercise” (Sunday?)
    “Stoic Attitudes Meditation Script” (?)

    • That’s already in the Handbook. It explains when to use the recordings

      • gssq says:

        Thanks
        I did look through the Handbook but was still confused
        I missed the part explaining the Stoic Attitudes Meditation
        Still not sure when to use “Morning Meditation Routine (Exercise Only)” vs “Morning Meditation Routine” and can’t find anything on “Stoic Mindfulness and Premeditation Exercise”
        Maybe the handbook could use a different font when referring to the audio recordings? Would make it easier to locate those bits

  6. JP says:

    Why can’t all the meditations be made iTunes compatible? Wouid this ever make things easier.

  7. Scott says:

    Very interesting but the recordings cut off before they are completed. At least the morning meditation. Accessed from iPhone.

  8. I too noticed every recording cuts off. Using iPad.

    • It’s probably your internet connection cutting out. Did you try downloading rather than playing them in the browser?

      • Michele says:

        How do you download with a smartphone, cuz I can’t right click?

      • Eric says:

        It’s not the internet connection cutting out. I had this same experience on iPhone from 3 different connections. Even on a computer, the mp3s can’t be scrubbed (fast fwd or rewound). I think it’s that the mp3 files are saved as a stream. For whatever reason, they will stop and replay from the beginning at ~2:00 on iPhone Safari each time. For viewers, downloading them to a laptop and playing them in a MP3 player will resolve this (browser won’t. It still treats the mp3 as a stream). For Donald, to resolve this, try re-exporting to a non-streamed mp3.
        Once I was able to listen, the meditations were fantastic. Thanks very much for taking the time to make these.

  9. David says:

    I too have noticed the recording cutting off, and then it restarts. I’m also using an iPad. I suspect this is an Apple/iOS issue, not a connection issue. Their devices don’t always play nice with media online. I’ll just download them on my laptop. Thanks.

  10. Cheri says:

    On my Mac Book Pro I just did a two finger click which gave me the option to open with itunes. Maybe that could work with other Apple products?
    Good luck!

  11. […] – Stoic Week 2015 Handbook, PDF. – Online Questionnaires. – Audio Recordings and Guides. […]

  12. Veronica Hobbs` says:

    I am very concerned because my i-phone number is now not recognised by my contacts. I believe it is connected to the registration process in some way. I am also having problems accessing the files through my i-phone which is interfering, to a certain extent, with my following the course. Apple clearly not ideal.

    • Hi, I can’t say any way that could be connected with the registration process. It doesn’t ask for your phone number, just your email address and it’s not linked in any way to your contacts. Apple products make it slightly more difficult to play MP4 files because they want to encourage you to buy them from iTunes rather than download them for free. All you have to do is download the files to a computer and import them to your iTunes library, though, and then you should be able to access them on your Apple devices.

  13. hitch says:

    Both stop at 14 15 while listening to on computer

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