playlist
Beat's recommended playlist for all of your musical needs.
The Vibe To End All Vibes
The goal of meditation is marvelous but securing the result you desire is so strenuous. This is coming from my own personal attempts. There were occasions where I was in tears, muffling cries because I couldn't meditate the way I thought I was supposed to. At times, I fumbled through sun salutations and was unable to silence the negativity. Music has held my hand all along. Alleviating stress so naturally I wasn't conscious that the healing was happening. Music taught me how to meditate. To be in command of my mind and place myself in an environment indicative to tranquility. A lot of these songs are attached to a memory, but the source of their sustainability is the feelings they cultivate. All these recollections and emotions spanning the volume of a Giant Sequoia tree. Towering over me, shielding me, giving me a place to rest my head and my thoughts.
By Jada Ferguson3 years ago in Beat
Music for Mind, Heart, and Soul
When I think of zen, I think of becoming centered and grounded. Allowing stress to melt away while I find a happy place to collect my thoughts and shed negativity. Using music is the perfect way to uplift your spirit and soothe your soul.
By Yvonne Lovejoy3 years ago in Beat
The Secret Chord
The Hebrew scriptures tell the legend of how King Saul, the first recorded King of Israel was, from time to time, tormented by an evil spirit. His advisors suggested that a skilled harpist be found and David, who would later become King, was put forward as a potential candidate. The King ordered that the young man be brought to him and a rather strange thing happened because the chronicle records that every time the evil spirit visited Saul, David simply played his harp and the spirit left the King alone. Perhaps it was this “secret chord, that David played and it pleased the Lord” that Leonard Cohen was referring to when he wrote his iconic ballad “Hallelujah.” What the king’s advisors knew back then, is a scientifically confirmed fact today and it is this: Music has the ability to alter not only the mind but also one’s very physiological state of being, reducing stress, alleviating anxiety and pacifying emotions.
By Stephen Bhasera3 years ago in Beat
Forever Trying to Chill
My taste in music has been greatly influenced by my parents from when I was very young listening to classical music and smooth jazz daily. My father would start the day with classical to calm the mind and “keep the dogs company” when we were gone. When the day was done, we’d come home, finish up our homework, and prepare for dinner with family and/or friends depending on the night of the week. My dad would change the station from classical to Smooth Jazz 94.7 The Wave. It was our go to evening radio station that played various jazz musicians and singers like Kenny G and Sade, but, if they were feeling extra saucy, then we'd listen to the Gypsy Kings, Carlos Santana, and other similar artists. I remember the sound of corks popping, the love flowing from one glass to the next; hearing my dad’s booming laughter that felt like a warm hug against my body; the delicious smells of my mother’s cooking pulling me downstairs to hang out with the adults. This was the zen I grew up with and it has served as the basis for what brings me zen and happiness today :)
By jaz valentino3 years ago in Beat
Radiohead and Zen
When I sit down to meditate, there is one playlist I go to frequently, my personal Radiohead and Zen list. I believe in embracing the light and the dark in meditation. Allowing myself to feel all my feelings allows me also to set them free. There is something about Thom Yorke's voice that lifts me into a different realm where I can be present and mindful. I am truly in another place when the intricate beats and rhythms start in on one of their songs. I can feel my breath slow down, my body relaxing, and all of the tension that I have been holding in my body starts to release into the supernatural sound of Radiohead. The emotions I feel when listening can release me from anger and sadness and change my day's trajectory. It isn't just Thom's voice or the music itself; it's also the lyrics. In meditation, we aren't meant to hold on to any thoughts, but acknowledge them and let them pass. When it comes to Radiohead though, I like to pluck the words flowing into my ears and devour them whole, like a drug.
By michelle stuart3 years ago in Beat
Affirmation Playlist: Replacing Limiting Beliefs
I have struggled with my mental health for several years now. I struggle with Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, psychosis, anxiety, and more. At this point, my list of mental illnesses rivals the length of a Tolstoy novel. My treatment has been a rollercoaster. At times, it feels like I am being carted back and forth between hospital admissions, psychiatry appointments, and therapy. Though these have been very helpful, I find that my treatment requires more than just bi-weekly therapy appointments. I deal with symptoms of my mental illness everyday and so, I require daily practices to manage my symptoms.
By Molly Dunn3 years ago in Beat
Mind-Cation: Soothing Music From Around The World
Your alarm wakes you up at 5am and you've realised it's Monday. What's going through your mind are thoughts of exhaustion and misery as your dreading the long day at the office. You then decide to lie in bed for another fifteen minutes but that little time of extra sleep turns into an hour. All of a sudden your running late to work and all the trains have been delayed due to signalling problems. So you have no other option but to take an expensive taxi ride to work, but your still going to be late. Fast Forward to the end of the day, your boss gave you a hard time because you came in late, then all your coworkers bombarded you with extra tasks that needed to be completed. On top of all of that you found out that your recent job application was declined for your ideal workplace.
By Bethany Gordon3 years ago in Beat
5 Songs That Foster Earth Love
Now more than ever we need to find and foster our love for Mother Earth. Sitting in nature helps to calm our minds and relieves stress, but it also allows us to connect to our surroundings and take a moment to thank the Earth for all she has given us.
By Christina Hunter3 years ago in Beat
Ataraxis
Ataraxis is the term used to describe the absence of mental stress or anxiety. And I feel both stress and anxiety, pretty often. Change, lack of control, uncertainty and pressure are the few contributing factors that trigger some of the stresses and the worries that will consume me. For what can feel like forever, and then some. But just as Zou Yan- an early philosopher believed within the good there is bad, and within the bad there is good. Balance is what I need to make up for the instability within my life and music is the equilibrium. Classical, jazz, rhythm and blues, roots reggae and korean popular music are the prominent musical genres that bring me to the state of “ataraxis.”
By Shadaé Brown3 years ago in Beat