What is Music Meditation: How To Meditate With Music

Music has been present for centuries and healing people with various illnesses for decades. However, the big question is can you meditate with music?

From relieving stress to improving overall health, music has many benefits. Music therapy has been getting more and more attention with every year that passes. It has proven to elevate mood, regulate breathing, and help in relaxation.

Talking about one of the most beneficial stress management techniques, meditation helps us calm our bodies and minds along with relieving stress. Now wouldn’t it be best if we could combine music and meditation to bring more positive and healthy changes in our lifestyle?

“Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears – it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more – it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life. For them, music is not a luxury, but a necessity.” – Oliver Sacks

For beginners to meditation and even experts, music meditation can be more relaxing than other forms of meditation. Music and meditation have one similar goal – relieving stress. Anyone can use this technique to manage stress efficiently.

Can You Meditate To Music?

Did you know that meditation music is scientifically called psychoacoustics? Well, by definition psychoacoustics is the science of dealing with the perception of sound and how it influences an experience, in this case, meditation.

Meditation music is created to help enhance meditation practices and provide sensory experiences to relaxation practices. Music in relaxation can play a huge role in helping heal our overall health but by combining meditation and music, your brain activity and mental health can see a change.

The right meditation music can help:

• Increase relaxation
• Better sleep
• Increase positivity
• Reduce anxiety and more

If you’re a beginner to music meditation, then you can get started with this meditation music:

• Classical music: This kind of smooth and soft music relaxes the mind and can even help improve concentration. Try Mozart or Chopin!
• Gregorian chants: Chanting with meditation can also help you get into the practice. Simple Gregorian chants or Vedic chants can help you retain focus when meditating. Best for morning meditation music for positive energy!
• Om sound: One of the most common meditation music or chants is “Om”. This kind of primordial chant can help you achieve a meditative state and the vibrations from the chant can relax your body.
• Nature sounds: Simple nature music can also help in enhancing your meditation practice and relaxation. The best kind of meditation music to sleep by!

How To Start Practicing Music Meditation?

Practicing music meditation is quite simple, really. All you have to do is floor these instructions:

1. Pick a music

Everyone has a different taste in music that they like to listen to. For music mediation, pick music that you like to listen to and that to which you can relax. If you don’t enjoy listening to classical music – don’t pick it! It is preferable if you pick music with less to no lyrics, slow tempo, and which you can focus on.

The goal here is to engage your mind to help relax.

2. Get comfortable

You don’t necessarily need to sit on a yoga mat with your legs crossed. Just find a comfortable position and space where you can relax. Lying down is not advisable as there is a chance you may fall asleep. But be open to experiment and find the best position that you are comfortable in.

Once you’ve found your ideal position, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and relax.

3. Relax & Focus

The next step is to relax. Let your shoulders down, loosen your muscles, your belly, and your face. Breathe deeply through your belly, not your chest. Inhale and exhale through your mouth and focus on the music. If you feel distracted by other thoughts, smoothly and gently redirect your mind to the present. Focus on the sound and reverberations of the music, the feelings and emotions the music stir up, and feel the music from your heart.

4. Let Go

Continue doing this meditation for several minutes or until you feel you are done for the day. Let go of your thoughts and maintain your focus on the music, on the present moment, and the sensations the music brings forth.

The goal of this meditation is to calm your mind and let yourself go to feel the moment you’re in. Relax fully until you feel calm – mind, body, and soul.

Do & Don’ts While Practicing Music Meditation

While practicing music meditation, here are some things you need to keep in mind:

• Choose the meditation music best for relaxation or create your relaxation playlist with the music you find yourself listening to relax.
• It is recommended that you prefer meditation music such as instrumental music, nature sounds, or music without lyrics to better help with relaxation and less distraction.
• Wear comfortable clothes to avoid any discomfort during your meditation.
• Make sure the lighting in your meditation room is better suited to enhance your mood. Lighting, along with meditation music also matters.
• Avoid eating heavily two hours before the meditation and make sure your bladder is empty before sitting down for meditation.
• You can time your meditation with the number of songs you pick. For instance; in the beginning, pick 4 five-minute pieces of music to practice meditation for 20 minutes.
• If you find yourself not being able to stop thinking about other things, don’t worry. Meditation of any kind takes patience and practice. The goal is to bring your body to focus on the present moment.
• Keep practicing. Keep experimenting with different music.

Is Meditation Music Effective For Quality Sleep?

Yes, music can help you sleep better. Music meditation focuses on building awareness and steadying breathing so when you meditate to relaxing music, you not only keep your heart rate steady but also work to keep your mind and memory sharp, balance strong emotions, increase feelings of calmness, and better your sleep quality.

The best kind of meditation music to sleep by is nature sounds!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Who Should Avoid Music Meditation?

Meditation music should be avoided by certain people. People who should avoid music meditation can include people with mental health disorders, people with nervous issues, and people with heart conditions who must avoid yoga meditation music, healing music, and stress-relieving music, respectively.

Q: How many minutes should we meditate?

While there is no set time for how long you should meditate, there is a consensus that says that you should at least meditate for 10 minutes daily. Of course, how one reacts to meditation also factors in, and if 10 minutes per day is not making much difference, then you can aim for 15-20 minutes daily.

Q: What type of music should you listen to while meditating?

The best meditation music to relax to can include Indian classical music, Gregorian chants, Vedic chants, primordial chants (“Om”, etc), instrumental music, or nature sounds. These sounds are the least distracting and can be used to relax the mind effectively.

Q: Is it better to meditate in silence or with music?

Meditation is about achieving a state of inner calm and stillness. If incorporating meditation music into your practice can help you relax into a meditative state, then go for it and if silence is needed to help you cultivate meditation, then silence it is! Whatever you choose, it depends on your preference and your abilities. However, if you are choosing music meditation, then make sure you listen to classical, instrumental, or chanting music.

On A Personal Note

Music has proven to have a great impact on emotions and the body. Music with a higher tempo can make you feel alert and active while slow music can help you relax and release stress. Upbeat and uplifting music is good when you want to exercise and keep yourself motivated and optimistic.

There is different music available online to help you meditate better. Meditating with music can help you relax, improve sleep patterns, increase positivity, improve concentration, reduce anxiety, and much more.

“Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.” – Ludwig van Beethoven

Keep meditating, keep feeling good, and keep loving yourself!