Try Music Therapy for Stress

There is increasing evidence from constant research being done on the impact of music therapy on on our body and mind. We know that chemicals in brain determine our mood and these chemicals can be influenced in a positive way through music. Music impacts the way brain waves behave. A consistent high paced beat can make brain waves synchronize and get in sync with the music.

Both data and all our personal experiences show that fast paced music keeps us alert and improves our concentration. The most significant positive impact of music among all this is to relieve stress. Not only listening to music, but playing it also calms the mind. If you are interested in bansuri music looking for a starting point to learn, we recommend the online flute classes at The Mystic Bamboo Academy.

Stress is not bad, per se. The right amount of stress makes children prepare well for their exams, especially if they are close to the exam date. It makes professionals perform at a faster pace to meet deadlines. However, chronic stress can wreck the body and mind and lead to cardio vascular diseases, digestive problems, weakened immunity, etc.

Music can be very effective to break the cycle of trigger and stress. The hindustani music tradition has a number of healing ragas with a prescribed time when they should be played for a certain effect. Listening to these ragas played on bansuri, even if the music is being played in the background will have significant and visible relief from stress. If you are keen to learn to play these ragas on a Bansuri, look at the work of Shri Himanshu Nanda ji who is a senior disciple of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia ji. He has a rich lineup of guided online flute lessons that will allow you to play the ragas yourself. Read why you should learn ‘The Bansuri’.

One of the most common reasons for stress is starting the day on the wrong foot. A lot of us have slipped into an obsession of checking our phone the moment we wake up. This makes the mind start with a barrage of todos to remember and looming deadlines to fear. Instead, start the day by listening to Raag Bhairavi. Raga Bhairavi is a morning raga and when played on bansuri, is known to evoke pleasant thoughts in the mind of the listeners. This ancient raga which can be dated back to 1500 years and is one of the most uplifting ragas.

Another reason for stress to continue to manifest itself in everything is because we don’t end our days mindfully. Allowing the mind to relax before we sleep improves the quality of rest we give our body. To trigger the positive energy, listen to Raga Yaman before calling it a day. Raga Yaman is a popular evening raga. This raga is performed during the night when the universe surrenders itself to the ultimate power after a stressful day. This raga is known to evoke all the positive emotions of happiness, peace, and devotion and allows putting our creator before our small problems that we struggle with everyday.

Listening to and playing music is the easiest medicine for a troubled mind. All it takes is to turn on the music device and let it play in the background or shut the world out and sit down and play. Given the increasing body of evidence, it is no surprise that music therapy is growing as a viable solution for reducing stress levels in children and adults alike.

 

By
Kalpana Behera