Music for Deep Relaxation
Everyone is touched by music in one way or another. It can connect directly with the individual’s emotions, inspire the humanity, capture human imagination, and nourish the soul. Music can also create an atmosphere of calm and peace, allowing everyone to de-stress and relax in a very natural way.
The first music experienced - the regular beating of mother’s heart - is in the womb of the mother, and this perhaps would explain the fact that music with a gentle repetitive rhythm can have profoundly beneficial physical and psychological effects.
Benefits of Relaxation Music
Therapeutic Benefits
Medical research from across the world has shown the remarkable therapeutic qualities relaxation music can have in treating conditions ranging from muscular tension and stress relief to pain management, sleeping problems and depression, as well as memory loss and speech therapy.
Health Benefits
Relaxation music can lower the heart rate and blood pressure, help to regulate breathing. Music can also encourage the production of endorphins and other pain and stress reducing hormones. Listening to relaxing music stimulates the production of natural anti depressants such as seratonin and helps the brain to produce beneficial low frequency alpha brain waves.
Listening to soothing melodies and rhythmic music is a gentle joyous way to lower stress levels, alleviate muscle tension and enhance the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of relaxation. Many people enjoy taking time out to relax and listen to music or put it on when having a bath.
Fights Stress
Listening to music when one is driving can help in lowering the stressful effects of dealing with traffic jams. Again, relaxation music on long haul flights can help to overcome travel fatigue and insomnia. Calming relaxing music played by the bedside can aid sleep. Relaxation music can also be used throughout the day to help deal with ‘flat spots’ of tiredness or depression or to calm the mind and body before stressful situations.
Music as an Alternative Therapy
Relaxation music is widely used alongside holistic and alternative therapies and its effectiveness in reducing anxiety and enhancing relaxation has been well documented. When dealing with the sensitive structures of the human body, sounds (especially music) interact with the body, having an effect on breath, muscle tension, pulse, heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, and the nervous system. Listening to relaxation music can have an amazing effect on all of these functions simultaneously, enhancing deep relaxation and bringing a sense of harmony and serenity and spiritual wellbeing to the individual.
Soothing music helps one to get in touch with their emotions and to open up and be receptive to healing energy and treatments with less stress related blockages. Music offers a powerful way to enhance the healing process because it can be a direct route to the inner self and an intimate connection with the human spirit.
Some Helpful Tips
Relaxation music for therapy should be melodic and based on slow repetitive rhythms, that is, around 60 - 80 beats per minute. It should be engaging enough to hold the imagination without being too distracting and played just loud enough to cut out disturbing or unpredictable background noise forming a kind of serene musical cocoon within which creative healing can take place.
Not everyone likes the same music and the choice of music will change depending how one feels in any given time. Taking time to de-stress and especially with music can have a wonderful effect on the general health and wellbeing and ability to function amid the cacophony of the modern life.