A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Meditate with Music
What science says about the power of music
Overview
When we think of meditation, the image popping up in our mind is often a combination of silence and stillness. On top of that, perhaps we think we must focus on breathing and empty our mind to meditate. Yet, what if one of the most easily accessible forms of meditation is not about silence at all? Science informs us that listening to music from our favourite playlist can be meditative. It helps us empty our mind and reach greater relaxation. In other words, music offers healing for our mind.
How Music Improves Our State of Mind
Listening to music, if done with intention, is a powerful meditative practice. It provides a focal point for our awareness, pulling us out of the recurring cycle of anxious thoughts and into the present moment. When we listen to music that we enjoy, science informs us that our brain responds by releasing a rush of beneficial chemicals, including endorphins and dopamine. Endorphins — our organic “feel-good” chemicals — help uplift our mood, while dopamine — an important neurotransmitter in our internal reward system — fosters feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.
Simultaneously, engaging with music can lower the production of cortisol, one of our bodies’ primary stress hormones. The chemical shift has tangible effects: decreasing our blood pressure, relaxing our muscles and quietening our anxiety. This means music orchestrates a physiological state remarkably similar to that achieved through conventional meditation that fosters a calm, alert and centred sense of being.
How to Strategically Listen to Music to Improve Our Wellbeing
In usual practice, one of the primary challenges of meditation is anchoring a wandering mind. Here music provides this anchor effortlessly. Meditation helps us focus on our breath, while music leads us to focus on the melody, rhythm and/or the texture of any voice. Active, intentional music listening engages both the left and right hemispheres of our brain. This process helps maximise listening, improve concentration and leave less room for distracting thoughts. To put it simply, we hardly have room to worry about tomorrow’s worries when we are fully immersed in listening to music that we enjoy. This helps achieve the purpose of meditation.
How we can instrumentalise music as a meditative tool lies in its deep personalisation. We all have our own personal preferences when it comes to music, and we may want to listen to specific genres of music or songs at any given time. The key is for us to curate our auditory environment to suit our own listening needs. According to Harvard Health Publishing from Harvard Medical School, a particularly effective technique we can adopt is the ‘iso principle’. This means we begin by matching the music to our current mood. Feeling agitated? Then start with something fast-paced and energetic. Next, we should gradually transition our playlist towards slower, simpler and calmer tracks, allowing our state of mind to follow suit.
Conclusions
Regardless of whether we are easing into sleep, finding motivation to complete a repetitive task or simply sitting for ten minutes to take a short break, we often crave listening to some music so as to practise this form of mindfulness. We are choosing to guide our focus, regulate our emotional state, and connect with the present moment. Therefore, next time we feel overwhelmed, we should not just put on any random background noise.
We can put on our headphones, close our eyes and truly listen. We may, therefore, be able to find the peace we are looking for. Sometimes it is as simple as that.
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