Simple Ways to Nourish Yourself with Nature's Magic

Like a Potent Drug...

Music can change your mood instantly. You've experienced that right? Maybe you're just sitting around feeling sort of blue, and a song comes on that you just can't ignore. Your foot starts tapping, you head is bobbing and you have the urge to dance. It's really hard to maintain the blues while joyously dancing. Suddenly everything looks a little brighter, your body feels better and the crappy thoughts have been banished. 

What is this Strange Magic?

How can a bunch of sounds have the power to take you back in time, elevate or depress your mood or expand your mind? 

Oh the thrill of hearing something that speaks to you through every note. 

Music is woven through so many of our experiences. Remember the first time you heard live music? Or your wedding dance? What about movie music...it's used to cue us on what we are meant to be feeling, or as a warning that something scary is about to happen. Musical sound can make us weep or rejoice. We remember the words to songs even when it has been decades since we last heard it. I don't know how music has the ability to get under our skin, but as an art form it sure does pack a punch.

The Power of Music - Laura den Hertog

Tapping into the Magic.

Using music to motivate is pretty universal. I never clean the house without blasting dance music. Same goes for working out and generally getting off one's butt. But there is so much more music can do for you.

Sharpen your mind -

Study Better. Listen to Mozart to aid retention and focus. (Spotify has pre-made playlists for this)

Get Smarter.  Researchers at the University of Helsinki recently discovered that listening to classical music can alter gene functioning, which can lead to numerous benefits, including improved brain function. (from: Chopra.com)

Keep your Brain Young. “There are few things that stimulate the brain the way music does,” says one Johns Hopkins otolaryngologist. “If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.” (from: hopkinsmedicine.org)

Get Creative -

Calling the Muse. Stuck in a creative wasteland? Listen to something new. Maybe what the kids are listening to these days. Even if it feels like torture at first, your brain will open new pathways to understand the sounds, and those pathways will let in other inspirational goodies too.

Expand Your Mind -

Meditate. Have trouble quieting your mind? Let music help by giving your "chatter self" something to listen to. There are plenty of options to choose from, but soft instrumental stuff works well. Bonus: when you find one you like, stick with it. Over time the music will become a cue and you'll find just hearing it will induce an altered state of consciousness.

Go for the Glory. Want that incredible expansive state where you can feel your heart opening and tears of joy come unbidden? Music can and will spark this within you. Lets call this meditation on steroids. Make yourself a playlist that begins with you usual meditation music, long enough to quiet your mind, and then try one of these:

Handel's Messiah (Overture)

Vivaldi's Four Seasons (Spring)

Pachelbel's Canon in D (omg...love this one)

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

Love Song, Laura den Hertog

One More Idea...

You already know that plants respond very well to music. So if it's true that plant life thrives on music, what about the nature spirits? What if you have all kinds of fairies and pixies listening in too? Makes total sense to me. 

Cheers,

Laura