In an Alternate Reality

Have you ever just wanted time to freeze? Only just for a second. Just so you can catch a breath, stay in the present and absorb life. Then press play and everything would be a little bit better than it was a second ago. I know I have.

In my junior year of high school I started to discover my spiritual self. I developed many little breathing techniques and forms of mindful meditation with the silence of the night.

After a while, things became too silent and my thoughts started speaking to me during my meditation. This made it very difficult to focus. Naturally, I turned to art to help me regain concentration. I started using meditation as a focal practice through my writing, painting and music.

I found that with the right songs I was able to absorb every instrument, every lyric and let the songs flow throughout my body. It was an elating yet calming feeling. Pure serenity for a moment is what it truly was.

I was amazed with how these songs could make me smile while I meditated. The music had a way of letting my body do it’s own thing with effortless breathing techniques. My hands would form mudras and move in synch with my breathing unknowingly. It felt as if somebody was controlling me like a puppet but I loved it. It was a feeling of true freedom that I never experienced. Some days the tears would roll down my face while I smiled because I had a moment of peace instilled in me for a bit.

Mindful meditation is a powerful self care treatment, it is something that grounds you when everything else is spiralling around you. To be in a state of meditation is to be in an alternate reality. In this reality, everything is not as bad as it seems and you have more control over your life.

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” - Bob Marley

When I meditate to the songs in my ‘peace of mind’ playlist they all project the same frequency, putting me at ease. It prepares my mind, body and soul for the state of peace I’m about to enter. These songs guide me throughout my meditation and aid as a reminder that I need to release and stay in the present with the universe and myself.

Sometimes it seems that with so much going on, you have no escape, no where to go. The truth is, the real escape is within. People tend to turn to different methods of temporary fixation but once that fades, they’re right back at the start. The beautiful thing about meditation is that the more you do it, the more you gain.

They say, “You are what you eat,” meaning whatever you put into your body, your system will respond accordingly. In the same way, many people become the music they create or listen to. Music is just as digestible if you let it be. It can become apart of who you are and what you believe in. The impact of music and playlists such as a zen playlist hold the weight of gold.

My zen playlist has ultimately encouraged me to live a free spirited lifestyle. Most people tend to live in fear of the future (aka anxiety) or dwell on the past. The journey to living in the present begins with yourself and how you choose to form your freedom. Music has the power of saving lives. It has the capability to make significant changes to many lifestyles. The making of a playlist is a true masterpiece as it may contain songs that one may hold close to their heart and possibly change their entire life.