Unlock Inner Peace: Meditate to music and transform your day

What role does music play in your life? When I reflect on my listening habits, I notice something strange.

For an entire decade, I stopped listening to music.

By “stopped” I mean I didn’t intentionally listen to music. What was behind my decade-long break from music? After all, I had always loved a wide variety of music, including world music, classical, funk, hip hop, trip-hop, you name it.

My husband and I were regulars at reggae shows, and we even went to jazz, flamenco, and sitar shows when we lived in Santa Cruz, CA! Safe to say, we were obsessed with music. And yet, I hit pause for an entire decade.

I now know why: I was depressed.

At the time of my music drought, we moved to New Mexico. This is also when I stopped teaching (my identity up to that point!) to become an administrator. During this time, we were new homeowners and new dog-parents, with lots of new places to explore.

Yet we had left our closest friends behind, and my family, including my beloved grandparents, were in California. It took longer than expected for my husband to find work. Above all, I had to adapt to the high desert after living on the coast my entire life.

At my new job as a dean at a private art college, pressure to perform was extreme. I thought long hours and the pressure from above was “normal”. As a result, I bottled up my worries so I didn’t worry anyone else. During that time, I also stopped writing, and I stopped reading fiction. (Anyone who knows me will say, “What? Impossible!”).

After finding my footing at a different school, lo and behold, music (and writing) came back to my life.

I now have a different relationship with music, knowing the link between creativity and the music I listen to. I’m no longer caught up in trends, but instead focus on the connection between rhythms, beats, and sounds and my state of mind.

According to Nielsen, people in the US listen to music more than 4.5 hours per day. Music streaming is on the rise worldwide. Whether or not you listen to music regularly, chances are you have at least 5 minutes in your day to try an easy, effective music meditation.

Not only does music change your mood. Because the positive effects are immediate, listening to music is an ideal way to transform your day in just a few minutes.

Why? Music positively impacts the brain, stress levels, and overall sense of wellbeing. Listening to music lowers blood pressure and decreases anxiety.

Don’t do what I did for far too long: I took the power of music for granted. Make music your go-to; tap into the power of your senses.

Consider what type of music genuinely brings you joy.

It might be the melody or the beat. I suggest choosing something without too many dramatic ups and downs at first. Ideally, choose music without lyrics such as classical or instrumental music. You can always branch out and experiment with different types that you want to try once you’ve explored music for meditation.

Lately, I enjoy feel-good groovin’ music from the 60’s that makes me smile, like Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Till I Run with You”. But for this meditation, I’m choosing Chopin.

I’ve gone through periods of time where quiet sitting mediation is going great, and other times I get frustrated or worse—anxious thoughts pile up, making me feel worse than when I sat down. When you practice concentration using easy and enjoyable exercises, you’ll eventually find it easier to find presence throughout your day.

With concentration or active meditation, you connect with calm and inner knowing through creative methods.

Follow the steps below to experience a song with fresh ears.

• Situate yourself in a comfortable place, where you can listen to music uninterrupted.
• Start the music.
• Focus on the notes, the rhythm, and the sounds drinking them in through your senses.
• Allow yourself to feel the music as something beautiful.
• Let the energy of the experience move you past your thoughts till you feel one with the music.

Ideally, you will take a few minutes after the meditation to sit and relax or write in your journal. However, it’s perfectly fine to get up and get on with your day, especially if you have obligations to get to.

If you start to get caught up in to-do’s again, see if you can hit pause. Recall how you felt physically when listening to music. Connect yourself to a beauty which is bigger than this moment.

If you liked this exercise, you’ll find more active meditations and concentration exercises on Small Steps, Big Joy.