There are 14 Guided Meditations. They are recordings of the meditations that appear at the end of each chapter. They are recorded by both authors of the book. Each of the guided meditations are ten to fifteen minutes long and include instrumental music or a peaceful ocean background soundtrack.

Research has demonstrated the value of guided meditation in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as improving life adjustment.

About the Guided Meditations

The meditations will introduce you to new tools and strategies, new ways of thinking about yourself and your world, and new ways of interpreting and responding to the challenges you face.

These meditations will help you to begin to shift your thoughts 1) toward more acceptance and less negativity; 2) more focus on the process than the outcome; 3) toward more being than doing; 4) more choosing than reacting; and 5) toward more value-guided actions than emotion-guided reactions. These tiny shifts will help create a foundation for your life that will get you better results.

14 Guided Meditations

As an additional resource in your journey toward well-being, we have created a guided meditation for every chapter to help you integrate the messages and skills for the chapter. These meditations are designed to create a deep state of relaxation while you are learning the new tools and skills. The following is a list of the skills you will learn in each.

Introduction  –  This is an opportunity to create an inner healing space where you can learn what it means to be well.

Chapter One – You will be introduced to your emotional, social, physical, intellectual and spiritual MindViews.

Chapter Two  –  You will learn about your tools for growth, such as: Acceptance, Forgiveness, Compassion, etc.

Chapter Three  –  You will learn about each of your MindViews, how they work, and how to begin your journey toward wellness.

Chapter Four  –  In this meditation we will begin putting your tools for the Artist WITHIN to work for you and your life.

Chapter Five  –  In this meditation you will plan your journey with a Journey Map that will guide you forward.

Chapter Six  –  This meditation will help you to  get to know who you are on a deeper level.

Chapter Seven  –  This meditation is about physical healing.  You will learn a meditation for deep relaxation.

Chapter Eight  –  This meditation is about emotional healing. You will learn to release old pain and create new emotional perspectives for your healing.

Chapter Nine  –  In this meditation you learn about how your thinking keeps you trapped in unhealthy habits.  You learn to release those by creating new thoughts and beliefs about your self and your life.

Chapter Ten  –  In this meditation you learn about your social skills and how you interact with others.  You learn skills that will help you to be more effective in your life and to create the intimacy and affection we all wish for.

Chapter Eleven  –  In this meditation you learn about the inner compass that helps to guide you through decisions, and how to bring this inner compass in line with your values and goals.

Chapter Twelve  –  In this Meditation you will learn about your Observer/Manager, and how all of the above skills, create balance and well-being in your life.

Chapter Thirteen   –  In this meditation we  summarize the tools and skills you have learned throughout the program and how to incorporate them into your life and into your future to create healing, balance, and well being.

Benefits of the Recordings

The guided meditations will also help to create new neural pathways and new responses that will support the changes you want to make in your life.

You will be learning to be kinder, more accepting, and compassionate with yourself and others. Most importantly, you will begin living your life with greater appreciation and gratitude for who you are as a unique and exceptional individual.

Testimonials

I've read countless self-help books and found The Artfully Lived Life one of the best by far. Thinking of our subconscious as a committee guided by the Observer-Manager was a new way of processing behavior and emotions for me. The concept was clearly explained. Research was presented to support this perspective, and guided meditations were included to cement this visualization. Overall, I personally benefited from reading The Artfully Lived Life, and I believe others will as well…The authors did a wonderful job of compiling research, making it understandable, and providing ways for readers to apply life-changing principles in their own lives.

Kirkus Reviews

The book was beautiful, full of love and acceptance, offered with a writing style that is as soothing as it is gentle. It's a book that tugged at my heart, changed my views on what it means to be human and possibly to feel broken, and it made me rethink what I know of empathy… if I could recommend it to anyone it would be the world. It's a book that I believe transcends the boundaries of the audience, and speaks to the heart and soul as much as it does to the mind. It was a work of art and a gift, and I feel as if something changed somewhere deep inside me for having read it!

Masa RadanicBooks Go Social

“… it has been a wonderful experience to read…your book so far. Not only because it is a unique topic in the world of self-help books but also because it has been written with beautiful passion and vigor…Your book is easy to understand and follow. People today are in so much need of reading material that helps them get through the difficult stages of life. And your book serves that purpose perfectly!

Book Writing Experts

You…have distilled decades of experience into a well-organized, scientifically rigorous approach to self-improvement, understanding, and healing. … as someone with a medical degree but little background in clinical psychology, I appreciated the guided approach to discovery and increased personal awareness. The exercises are detailed and explained well. Having taken the time to complete many of the workbook exercises, questionnaires, and journaling… I do believe that The Artfully Lived Life is a valuable resource and hope that it finds its way into the hands of many who will benefit from this self-guided approach to wellness.

Jared ChristensenM.D., MBA Vice Chair and Professor of Radiology, Duke University

The exercises in this program (book) are thought-provoking and inspirational.

Wendy LehnertzLMFT

In The Artfully Lived Life Donna and Kim Rogers have created one of the most holistic approaches to wellness and self-worth that one can find. With patience, readers will find the tools needed to reflect on both self-understanding and their relationships with others. All of us should be taking more time (even though it feels daunting) to reflect and ponder our life's various paths, journeys and distractions. This book provides a needed and ultimately transformative guide as we do so, not so that we just "do" better things, but so that we "become" better people.

Ken RogersonPh.D., Duke University

This self-help book attempts to provide a clear path to understanding one’s values and behaviors…A guide to personal growth that’s full of research, activities, and concepts…

Kirkus Reviews