Hello,
Welcome to The Divine Balance.
I am Patrick and I will be your host.
Today we're going to talk about music and its healing effect on the human body.
Now I will preface this podcast by saying such a topic has been spoken about at extreme length and today is not that day.
Instead we'll be focusing on the basics and the basic understanding of how music can influence our health.
Music and healing go back literally thousands of years.
We can trace the gong into early eastern history 4,
000 plus years ago.
The sound of the gong is known to aid in relaxation,
Emotional release,
And pain relief.
Modern day gong baths are becoming more and more popular and therefore more mainstream.
Being immersed in the vibrations of a gong allows one's brain to relax into alpha or theta brainwave states.
Other sound therapies do the same thing as a matter of fact.
The gong though,
Being one of the more ancient,
Can be used to stimulate an altered state of consciousness.
This form of deep relaxation is almost trance-like.
The healing qualities in the form of vibration travel to the core of the cellular system where they're fully absorbed.
Personally,
I own a beautiful 34 inch Grata Sonora deep gong.
The sounds and vibrations it makes are incredible.
It's such a wonderful healing tool and I can't tell you how many compliments I get when people hear it.
That gong gives off different tones depending upon where you play it and even how you strike it.
Using different types of mallets also creates different sounds and tonalities.
It is such a versatile instrument and is probably one of my favorite instruments that I've ever purchased.
Using crystal or metal bowls,
Chimes,
Drums,
All of these can help alleviate the stresses of modern day life just as they did back throughout history.
If you haven't had the opportunity to attend a sound healing in your local area,
I would suggest that you investigate one as soon as this podcast is over and sign up.
You can usually find them at a local yoga studio,
Meditation centers,
Health spas,
Anywhere and I can promise you,
You would thank me later on.
As a musician myself,
Creating music is one of the most relaxing things that I can think of.
Honestly,
I have lost myself for hours when I'm writing music.
Sometimes I'm in an almost fugue-like state where my subconscious takes over and when I'm finished,
I honestly can't believe what I've created.
Other times,
I need to work on the piece just a little bit more intensively,
But I still get the same satisfaction and relaxed state of mind.
Either way,
The tones and ambiences while I'm creating give me a sense of calmness,
Stillness and an overall feeling of just being centered.
So let's see how music affects our lives with just a quick little experience.
Take a moment to calm your mind.
Now close your eyes and think of your favorite song from high school.
Hear the beginning of the song,
Hear your favorite part of the chorus.
Pick out anything in particular that made that your favorite song.
In remembering that,
I'm willing to bet in this moment,
You can almost see yourself as that teenager who loves that song.
You could even remember an experience or a feeling that you had about that song and that memory.
That memory feels like it's happening right now.
You're immediately transported to that point in time when that song became your favorite.
And that is the power of music and the mind.
The auditory sense is the first sense that we gain in the womb.
It's also the last sense to go when we pass.
I have known about that for quite a long time and honestly it's the reason why when my mother passed that I knelt down beside her and I said,
Ma,
I'm right here.
I knew that would be the last thing she would ever hear.
That truly meant something to me because I loved her.
I was honored to have that opportunity.
Things that we hear can also have a negative impact on our lives and yes,
I have songs that I know bring instant pain to my heart when I hear them because they're associated with bad times.
Here's the thing,
I'm going to reprogram myself about those songs.
Just like putting a new memory stick into a computer,
I have,
We all have,
The ability to throw away bad programming and install new and better programming.
Again,
Healing music isn't just musical notes though.
One of the things that I've learned during my journey of shamanism is that rhythm is also healing.
Drum or a shaker played with a simple beat can help us induce those alpha or theta brainwave states.
They basically create the same experience of meditation and allows us to dig deeper into ourselves.
One of the best parts about drumming is that you don't even need an instrument.
You can tap on your knee or your thigh with rhythm.
Tap on your chest.
But don't forget,
You're not trying to be a Neil Perrott or Stuart Copeland here.
Just tap a simple rhythm.
It doesn't need to be perfect and it definitely doesn't need to be intricate.
It needs to be simple and steady.
That is all.
Being involved in music is literally a way to increase its effectiveness.
Like the zen-like feelings I get when I'm creating music,
You can have the same thing simply by tapping a rhythm or singing in the shower.
Yes,
Singing in the shower.
It's one of those things that everybody does,
But they pretty much don't admit.
However,
Singing in the shower is one of those things that really lifts our spirits.
And because our voice is part of us,
Again,
Now we are immersing ourselves into the music.
One of the coolest things that you could try is attending a local drum circle.
Because having others of the same mindset playing rhythms together,
Beating off of each other,
It is just such a cool experience.
Highly recommend it.
You know,
Harvard has written about healing through music and the benefits of sound healing.
They've shown where music therapy helps restore lost speech.
Like someone recovering from a stroke or traumatic brain injury.
As well as reducing the side effects of cancer therapies.
It has been shown to improve the quality of life for dementia patients and even reduces anxiety for those undergoing invasive surgical procedures.
It even lowers the use of opioid painkillers in the recovery room.
So I mean,
If Harvard is writing academic papers about music and healing with positive results,
Then there's obviously something to it.
We're getting to the end of this short podcast.
But I want you to do yourself a favor.
When you're finished listening to this podcast,
Go to YouTube and type in the search bar,
Ambient music.
And when you click search,
You're going to find literally hundreds and hundreds of videos of all different kinds of genres.
Now for me,
Particularly,
I enjoy dark ambient pieces.
But again,
Look for something that stands out to you.
Now I want you to put on headphones and go listen for just 15 minutes.
Calm your mind and focus on your breathing.
I want you to feel the air come in through your nose.
Visualize it as it goes down into your expanding lungs.
Hold it for a slight pause and then let it escape through your mouth.
While you're listening to the music,
Try to not let outside thoughts get into your way.
And if you do have some outside thoughts begin to stray into your mind,
Then push them out by again concentrating on your breathing.
For The Divine Balance,
I'm Patrick.
Go in harmony.
