Music and meditation are rarely seen to belong to the same continuum. However, music might have much more to do with meditation, self-development and spiritual growth than one may think, reflecting on the way one intuitively relates to music in our daily life, to relax, uplift one’s mood and find solace.
Certain types of music can indeed bring about some kind of magical, elevating and even mystical experience, in particular ‘sacred’ music, which exists in all cultures and can be traced through the ages. Various spiritual traditions, including some closer to Asia, have made use of this particular art to appeal to followers’ inner self and connect them with a deeper source of existence. For example, Tibetan monks sing sacred hymns with special singing techniques, some Buddhist priests in Japan play Shakuhachi or “blowing zen” during meditation to relax audiences’ mind, spirit and body, not to mention about ageless Indian ragas or Muslims mystics’ Sufis music who spread their music far and wide.
Sahaja Yoga Meditation, which was founded by H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi in the 1970s and is being practised in over 125 countries around the world, often uses meditative music as an entry point into the state of meditation, to help the mind focus and gradually reduce the flow of thoughts.
