Musical Therapy to Reach Zen

We are all unique. We’re vastly different from our parents and siblings — our own kin. Various genetic and environmental factors come into play when shaping us which leads all of us to different interests and different ways to cope with the human condition. Music is a powerful gift that can revive our human spirit to help us through the hardships of life and bring us to Zen.

Creating and listening to music is a practice given to us from our ancestors. They knew that it had a magical quality that could transform our states of mind. The vibration of the molecules around us now vibrate within us. Simple tapping of the feet to full out break dancing. Also, sitting still and being aware of your surroundings and fleeting thoughts accompanied with light music.

I listen to music like most people, although I realized the gift of music late in my life as a young adult, and I listen to different kinds of music depending on my mood. It’s always dependent on my mood. If I’m sad then I listen to sad music and embrace those uncomfortable feelings and possibly shed a tear to release cortisol, or I might try to lift my mood with upbeat music. When I’m angry, I listen to rap and yell with the music to relieve me of my anger. When I’m a happy romantic, I listen to music that is happy and romantic to stay in this mood. I relax in different ways and it’s all dependent on my mood. When I’m feeling too much of something, I eventually need to come back to equilibrium and feel relaxed and calm, and music is a potent remedy that helps this process.

I’d like to share some of the music I listen to when I’m feeling a certain way. I need to get my anger out so let’s start with that.

ANGER

I first heard his music in the summer of last year and I was amazed. He goes by NF which stands for his name Nathan Feuerstein. He’s an amazing rapper that raps about his struggle as a human. He’s an angry soul, which I can relate to, and he gets his anger out with his music. He just released his Mixtape Clouds last month and it’s epic. I listen to “Clouds” and “Lost” quite often now. If you're an angry person, then this guy might help you cope with your anger. Listen to all his songs from all his albums. Find songs you really like and start memorizing the words, then rap along and you’ll feel the tension from your shoulders released after a few rounds of rapping.

CLOUDS

LOST

SADNESS

Not only am I angry, but I’m sad often enough. The truth is too often. There is one man that helped me through a difficult time in my life and still does — Sam Smith. I’m a huge fan of his first album In the Lonely Hour and songs from his other albums, especially the acoustic version of “To Die For”. He has a voice of someone who’s experienced the pains of life and he’s able to express it through his music and I can’t thank him enough for that. Anytime I feel sad, I listen to his songs with his voice and story reminding me that I’m not the only one to feel this way. It’s very comforting to know you're not alone.

TO DIE FOR

As a sad person I need songs that give me hope and two songs that do that for me during my depressed times are “Claire de Lune” by Debussy and “Dearly Beloved” from the game Kingdom Hearts. They may inspire the same feelings of hope for you or different feelings, but either way they’re beautiful songs. I like to listen to a guitar cover on Youtube by Beyond the Guitar of “Dearly Beloved”.

CLAIRE DE LUNE

DEARLY BELOVED

LOVE AND JOY

The greatest feelings that we all strive for — joy, love, happiness. I’m always relaxed when I’m happy. When I’m feeling this, I want to keep feeling it. Unlike most of the other emotions I feel, where I might take time to experience it because I believe it’s important to understand the vast range of human emotions, even when it’s not fun, I always want to be happy and wish that were so, but that’s not how humans work and definitely not how I work. So when I start feeling good, I start singing and jamming to “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé. Then I’ll probably serenade my wife with “Everything”, again by my man Michael Bublé. Then sing “Mine” by Bazzi. Then many more.

FEELING GOOD

MINE

Two songs I love that can bring tears of joy to my eyes are “Saint Saens: Carnival of the Animals~Le Cygne (The Swan)” and “Romeo and Juliet: The Balcony Scene”. Simply beautiful.

SAINT SAENS: CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS~THE SWAN

ROMEO AND JULIET: THE BALCONY SCENE

One song that I love to sing to my daughter is “A you’re Adorable”. It’s hard to relax when she’s screeching like a banshee in the backseat. It’s one of the few songs that can keep her happy, which makes me happy, when we drive while she’s locked up in the car seat. It works almost every time.

A YOU'RE ADORABLE

CALM

When I want to feel calm and relaxed or already am, I sit or lay down and meditate without music most of the time. As much as I love music, I also need time away from it and rather listen to the sounds that are around me. I may go for a walk and focus on the sensation of the sunlight warming my skin, the cooling wind, the chatter of people nearby, the laughs of children, and basically anything around me. It reminds me to be present in this noisy world.

These are only a few songs and albums and ways that help me achieve my Zen. I don’t actually have a playlist so I can’t share one. I hope these songs can help you feel relaxed as much as they make me relaxed. Enjoy and experience your emotions whatever they may be.

“Wherever you are, be there totally.” - Eckhart Tolle

After that come back to equilibrium because it’s the only way to stay sane in this world.