Best iPhone app for that which I know of is Naturespace. The reviews were so good, I wondered what the big deal was. And it is this: In addition to being really high quality, the sounds are done in a stereo/3D-ish kind of way that make it feel like you're in the natural setting rather than listening to a flat recording. Comes through when using headphones.

Chroma,

Thanks for the recommendations.

I don't have an Iphone...have a blackberry bold with limited app availability due to corporate restrictions.

Are these available for downloads on Itunes?

KY

There is an album called NatureSpace on iTunes, but when I sampled the tracks it appears to be a coincidence in the naming.

Also, for ambient music (no lyrics, no strong melodies), I really like Brian Eno's "Music for Airports".

Here's what makes zero sense to me. When I'm stressed, I must be breathing in a shallow manner, raising the rib cage, and also tensing my upper musculature.

Ok fine.

Then tell me why when I'm working out at the gym...vigorously...and I'm huffing and puffing, tensing my muscles, I don't have the same reaction post workout?

Don't get it.

Post workout, am I relaxed? Is it due to endorphin release?

There's some kind of brain to muscle connection thing here that's important. Something very positive is going on in my head during and after workouts, while something very negative is going on while emotionally stressed. And my body reacts accordingly.

KY

I would guess that after you workout, your muscle tone goes way down. Also, your circulation improves. Both good things.

Stress increases muscle tone.

There is more on this in "Somatics" by Hanna and "Muscular Retraining" by Williamson, although I can't say the Williamson exercises cured by chronic neck tension. I haven't tried the Somatics yet, but found the material about tension interesting.

I've also read other books and articles where authors lament that people have a flight-or-fight response to stressful situations that are not physical (such as office work and relationships) and because they are not physical, they are left in an unhealthy stew of adrenaline and muscle tension that they can't immediately work off. I agree that this is a problem in modern life.

I agree with you that "There's some kind of brain to muscle connection thing here that's important."

So true.

One of the primary benefits of going to the gym for me is that it's my own personal decompression chamber. I vent out everything there. If I head into a session stressed, my focus on executing movements and exertion just forces it all out of me.

I need the "non-gym" equivilent!

KY

I don't think that there is a non-gym equivalent based on "pushing through" or "being forceful". There is, however, a different approach which is mindfulness and avoiding the stress in the first place. In other words, getting through your day with fewer stress responses so that you don't become compressed in the first place.

With some practice, a mindful person can choose their response rather than simply reacting and therefore being at the whim of their environment.

This approach works, but it takes time and effort to master. I think it's worth it.