5 Soothing Scenes For When You Just Need An Escape

Escape To A Peaceful Place (Without Leaving Your Couch)
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The stress and strain of constantly being connected can sometimes take your life -- and your well-being -- off course. GPS For The Soul can help you find your way back to balance.

GPS Guides are our way of showing you what has relieved others' stress in the hopes that you will be able to identify solutions that work for you. We all have de-stressing "secret weapons" that we pull out in times of tension or anxiety, whether they be photos that relax us or make us smile, songs that bring us back to our heart, quotes or poems that create a feeling of harmony, or meditative exercises that help us find a sense of silence and calm. We encourage you to look at the GPS Guide below, visit our other GPS Guides here, and share with us your own personal tips for finding peace, balance and tranquility.

We all want to escape to a calmer location when things get chaotic, but finding an uninterrupted area of quiet isn't always easy. Since most of us can't just jump on a plane to a remote island or plop ourselves in front of a grand fireplace, it can be difficult to find our peaceful place -- until now. Whether it's the crackle of a heated log or the sounds of waves lapping the shore, the five videos below will put you just inches away from a soothing scene -- no plane ticket (or actual fireplace) required.

For more GPS Guides, click here.

Before You Go

6 Steps To Easier Meditation
The Goal Is Space, Not Silence(01 of06)
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The late Swami Satchidananda, renowned for opening the Woodstock festival with his chanting, encouraged meditators to look within themselves."Become a witness ... be still and watch what is happening in your mind and in your body." Note that he didn't say, "shut your crazy mind up"-- because that's impossible. Meditation is about observing your thoughts, not about making them stop (although it's possible to slow them). When you can view those thoughts as separate from yourself (in your sitting meditation and, ultimately, throughout your day), you will inevitably be less storm-tossed by them. (credit:Thinkstock)
Adore Sounds That Aren't Silent(02 of06)
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After floundering during the start of that wobbly meditation, I finally got grounded by focusing on the noise and smells around me. Meditation teachers typically suggest finding a quiet place to sit, but the reality is even an-out-of-the-way corner is a whirlwind of ticking clocks, purring refrigerators, noisy neighbors, and yes, honking cars. Rather than try to fight them, it may be better to use these sounds to focus. The key is to hone in on the tones and vibrations -- in other words, to experience listening -- rather than to mentally ponder their source or meaning. (credit:Thinkstock)
Showing Up Is Half The Victory (03 of06)
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A meditation teacher once told me never to stop before my pre-determined schedule. "If you were planning to meditate 20 minutes, don't get up after 10," she admonished. You're trying to teach your mind that it doesn't always run the show. Letting it run your meditation time-clock is not a good way to impart this lesson. Nonetheless, if those 20 minutes prove agonizing, it's okay to plan for 10 the next time around. (credit:Thinkstock)
You Won't Always Linger In The 'Gap'(04 of06)
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Deepak Chopra uses this term to describe the space of bliss and stillness that we think of as meditation. But you can have a wonderful session without staying there. Consider your practice a success if you notice even once that there is space between your thoughts or mantra; this is the place where pure consciousness resides, and just seeing that it's there is sufficient. (credit:Thinkstock)
Treasure Your Effort(05 of06)
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If you judge yourself because your meditation isn't going the way you had planned, you are separating yourself from the higher, spiritual self that adores you. This is ironic, since connecting with that essence is the reason you're meditating in the first place. In its description of meditation, the University of Rochester Counseling Center recommends bringing "as much patience into the process as possible." Your higher self agrees, no doubt. (credit:Thinkstock)
Watch For Spillover Into Your Life(06 of06)
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Ultimately, the goal of a successful practice is not what happens on the cushion (or chair -- no law says that just because the ancient Hindus sat on the floor, you have to). The real purpose of meditation is to influence that other parts of our life, allowing -- through the increasing ability to separate ourselves from our rambling thoughts -- a flow of serenity and connection. If you notice that peace filtering into any part of your day, consider your meditation a triumph. (credit:Thinkstock)

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