How Music Fits Into Meditation
Music and meditation go hand in hand. Whenever you listen to your favorite tune or a glorious symphony, music has a way of calming you down and lifting you up. There was a woman who worked in the main office of a public school. Needless to say, the stress was evident every day, especially for the teachers.
One day she decided to buy an inexpensive CD player and began bringing in CDs in all genres. From 7am until she left, music played all day. After a while, teachers began coming down to the main office just to listen. Some would even forego lunch to spend time hearing their favorite melodies or singers.
Their demeanor and body language instantly changed. They became relaxed, calm, and even began to sing along to the music. For teachers, this form of entertainment was enough to give them the strength to go back to their loud classrooms and noisy hallways and finish out the day.
If you’ve had a tough day at work and have a long drive home, inevitably you have your radio locked on to a specific station, whether it’s rock, opera, or pop. Once the music begins playing, you begin to feel calm and start singing along as well, right? Or perhaps you just drive and listen and forget about the traffic jam or the accident that has you sitting in your car for an hour.
Music is a form of meditation. When meditating with music, specifically instrumental or sounds of the ocean, it enhances the experience a hundred-fold. The irritability and stress dissipates when listening to music. Whether you are a music aficionado or not, music does what it is meant to do – soothe.
“Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.”