I could not imagine the world without music. Music is one of the things no one can take away from you, as Andy Dufresne mentioned in the masterpiece movie “Shawshank Redemption”. To me, music always meant freedom. The freedom to express my unconventional, rebellious side. It helped me process my thoughts, release any negative emotions and anxieties that were holding me back.
Often, I play and replay the tunes in your head without turning on your music app or radio. Music has this magic power to transfer important messages, store memories to bring you back in time. Music is food for the soul, body and mind. It can relax you, upset you, help you release some emotions or energize you.
I never skip music in my yoga practices. It is one of the teaching tools that help me lead a practice by setting the pace of my asanas and help me close off the class by sending the message to the brain “Hey, we are about to cool down, it’s Shavasana time!” Meditation tunes and other calming styles of music are good to keep you focused and help you distress, allowing you to welcome peace and harmony into your space. Music can be a healing tool; it can relieve a headache and improve your mood. Simply, try searching for different frequencies into YouTube, such as 5.28 Hz, and you will see how many will come up, depending on the issue you want to heal.
In the summertime, when teaching yoga outdoors, I often use music to keep my students focused on the practice and the pace of the flow, as external sounds could be a distraction during the class. Therefore, I need a well-curated playlist. I teach a chillout yoga class, and I carefully select every tune as it must be in sync with my asana flow and sequence. I love using this beautiful chillout playlist: https://relaxingmusic.com/products/relaxing-music-vol-2.
I like to start all my yoga classes with a 5-min meditation, where I incorporate some breathwork or “pranayama” to allow the students to center themselves before going into asanas. I use relaxing meditative music or slow chillout tunes; it depends a lot on the energy of my students. I might prepare one playlist and then change it 5 min before practice. I go with the flow, and up till now, it always paid off. I’m not too fond of routine; therefore, I update my playlists weekly and am continually seeking new sounds that much my yoga styles.
Meditation or “Dhyana” is one of the eight limbs of yoga. From personal experience and by talking to many people who are thinking of trying meditation, but they have trouble focusing on the present, I suggest calming and steady tunes like the sounds of nature, for example, the rhythm of the ocean waves https://relaxingmusic.com/products/relaxing-rain-sounds-with-music-vol-1 or peaceful music with Tibetan singing bowls https://relaxingmusic.com/products/tibetan-singing-bowl-music-vol-1.
In time, as you dive deeper into your meditation practice, you will find that you won’t need music as often as before. Progressively, you will start shifting your attention inwards and perhaps gain the courage to explore your inner self, emotions you buried deep, and uncover some darker places of your soul you’ve been avoiding for a long time. It takes courage and commitment to show up for yourself consistently every day on your yoga mat to practice and meditate. It is scientifically proven that incorporating yoga and meditation in your morning routine, apart from improving your posture, strengthening your musculoskeletal system, you will experience increased mental clarity and improved focus throughout the day. Powerful, right! So put on your favourite playlist and start now.
Music is food for the soul, body and mind. It can relax you, upset you, help you be less anxious or energize you. Music is the magic tool to make your body move faster, slower or perhaps going into a trance state during meditation. The style of your music you are choosing today will tell me a lot about your current state of mind.
If I had to describe music in one sentence, it would be this quote by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato: “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”
Affirmation: "Deep within my soul I now accept and experience the healing power of music." (source: "Healing with fairies", Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue)
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