amy@amybermudez.com

Blog Post - Meditation

New Meditation App Launch!

by

Mavy Meditation app logo
Meditation app for which Amy Bermudez is the female voice.

I’m bursting to share my latest news!  Last week (June 19, 2023) Mavy: Meditation and Goals, a new mindful meditation app, launched on the Apple app store.  And I’m proud to say I am the female meditation voice of the app!

A major goal of mine – ever since my voice acting journey began- has been voicing a meditation app.  And now it’s a reality!

During college, I had a wonderful therapist who helped me through some challenging times. She taught me the technique of guided imagery meditation.  Being in a relaxed state and envisioning myself in a particular place (such as on the beach with the warm sun, the sound of the waves and the feel of the sand underfoot) provided a very calm state of mind. I was able to learn new ways of thinking, new ways to solve problems, etc., in that relaxed state. She recorded the meditations in her office so I could listen to them any time I needed to relax my mind. I can still hear her beautiful German accent, and her calming voice.

Over the years, I have turned to meditation at times when I’ve needed to slow down, get centered and just — be. Unsurprisingly, the benefits are many. Meditation is proven to be beneficial for managing stress, physical and mental relaxation, helping a person be more connected to the present moment, and more. For me it’s helped quiet my mind when I need to sort things out to make decisions, to relax from stress or anxiety or help me work through overwhelming emotions.

Mindfulness has become the hot topic surrounding meditation.  And thank goodness! I feel like with the emphasis on mindfulness, meditation has become simplified and more accessible than it was 15 or 20 years ago.  This reminds me of one of the best-selling books of a generation, of course – Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. In her autobiographical story, she describes with laughter and relatability, her journey to among other places, Bali. In Bali, Elizabeth experienced grueling, yet ultimately fulfilling, training in ancient forms of meditation. Not something most people can just pick up and do!

The good news is, mindfulness and practicing meditation is readily available to us.  We don’t have to fly to faraway islands, wake up before dawn and twist ourselves into uncomfortable contortions while chanting.

It’s all about the breath. Connect to your breath. Be aware of your senses and calming your mind and body by relaxing in this mindful way.  Once you’re in this relaxed state of being, you create the mental space to solve problems, to visualize yourself succeeding at a goal, to optimize your focus.

I am grateful to have a soothing and calming voice, perfectly suited for meditation. I have enjoyed writing and producing meditations of my own. Two of my favorites are Antidote to Anger and Spring Meditation. Please take a listen.

As for the Mavy app, I’ll be sharing some samples on my website soon!

 

Winter 2022 Meditation

by

At the time of this writing, there are exactly 12 remaining days of Winter.  We have persevered and nearly made it through the months of layering bulky clothing and longing for more sunlight.  The joys of the winter holidays may have created some stress, and a feeling of overwhelm as gift-giving and festivities changed our routines or possibly led us to put on a few extra pounds.

Sometimes our minds get bogged down thinking about all these extra things, on top of our usual daily responsibilities.  Factor in New Year resolutions and the often irresistible distraction from social media scrolling, and we may need to take a break!

Re-set and find balance with my Winter 2022 Meditation.  Give yourself a chance to breathe and relax so you can tackle your daily responsibilities with a feeling of balance and manageability.

Before you know it, Spring will be here!

Music used with permission.  Photo by Michael Niessl on Unsplash.

Spring 2021 Meditation

by


In our over-achieving, always active culture, our intention to always be busy instead of just be-ing is usually celebrated as the norm. However,  even in the best of times, constant busy-ness can be overwhelming and depleting.  Factor in what we’ve lived through in the past year, we’ve survived challenges like nothing we’ve ever faced.

Surviving the past year is nothing short of a blessing.

Be proud of yourself!  Be gentle on yourself!

Give your high-achieving-self permission to do your daily routine in a reasonable pace, one day at a time, and to be good enough. Perfection is unrealistic. You are a good enough spouse, parent, sibling, caregiver, employee… whatever role you are fulfilling.

If this resonates with you, perhaps you’d like to check out my latest meditation.  I wrote and produced this guided imagery meditation with the intention of providing affirmation…that everything is manageable, and we can give ourselves permission to find balance. Hope you enjoy it!

Music: Bird Meets Dog by Moby, courtesy of https://mobygratis.com.

 Photo by 宸恺 邢 on Unsplash

eLearning Course on Wellness

by

I’m so proud of my latest VO project. It’s an 18-module continuing education narration I voiced on the topic of wellness. Wellness (i.e. managing stress, recovering from exposure to trauma, maintaining healthy sleep, diet & exercise and coping strategies for improving mental health) could not be a more relevant or necessary topic these days, right?!

Being chosen to deliver this course content was a privilege. I loved being able to contribute my conversational and engaging style. For my client, the pandemic had caused a scheduling problem, so obtaining the audio files to get this course produced and launched in a shortened time-frame was critically important. And with good reason! Offering continuing education to public-service workers to enhance overall wellness during a pandemic is urgent. Public-service workers must be knowledgeable about maintaining their optimal health in order to perform their best.

If your next eLearning project requires a trustworthy, conversational and engaging voice, I would love to collaborate. Let’s chat, and I’ll prepare a custom quote. I offer quick turnaround from my broadcast quality home studio.

One last thing: It’s striking that many people suffering from depression or anxiety don’t seek treatment because they’re embarrassed about talking to a psychologist, psychiatrist, etc. Don’t let fear or shame prevent you from seeking help when you feel overwhelmed; the consequences can be tragic. Talk to a friend or loved one. Reach out to a trusted colleague or clergy member, or seek professional counseling. It’s important to manage our mental health just as we would more visible, physical health issues. An excellent resource is www.NAMI.org. The NAMI Helpline can be reached at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org.

Photo credit Jess Baily Unsplash

 

Antidote to Anger Meditation

by

Collectively our mental health and well being have been strained and stressed as never before, thanks to the challenging year 2020 has been. If you can relate, maybe you’d like to have a listen to my Antidote to Anger meditation, now live on my Youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNGwBDytJlQ

This is a meditation to ease anger and promote mental health, self care and well being. My wish in creating this meditation and sharing it is that it will give you some peace and relaxation, a reprieve from the challenging times we’re all going through.

I wrote this meditation in Spring 2020, early on in the lock down of the Covid-19 pandemic. Feeling overwhelmed due to the enormous ways life had changed, every day was full of mixed feelings. I had to find a way to overcome the anger that would creep in, and I needed to cope with and embrace the changes and move on. I recalled the amazingly helpful guided meditations I was privileged to receive from my therapist as a young college student in the early 90’s. The techniques my lovely counselor taught me have stayed with me all this time, and so meditation is a practice I lean on often.

I am proud and delighted to note the gorgeous background music track, “The Ghost Has No Home”, by The Cocteau Twins and Harold Budd, used with permission by 4ad records. Huge thanks and gratitude!!! Their music, and this album (The Moon and the Melodies) are some of my all time favorite, so sublime and beautiful, it defies description. Photo credit for the still beach scene: Wolfgang Hassel, Unsplash.

Thanks for reading, and I hope the meditation is beneficial for you!

 Amy Bermudez, November 2020