Sound Heals

This is part 10 in IzzyJi’s Yoga off the Mat series. 

Music is in my blood. I absolutely LOVE music. My mom said that when she was pregnant with me I kicked a LOT. She used to hold a radio up to her belly and play classical music for me. That, and the sound of her voice reading to me used to calm me down enough so that she could get some rest as well.

I love music so much that I took percussion in grade school and began learning piano in Jr. High. I eventually decided to major in music in college and even took some graduate courses in Musicology (the study of the science of music). I’ve been told my voice is melodic and soothing. I’ve always been shy about singing, but find myself doing it a lot around the house, and occasionally for church and for class. Music both soothes me and also makes me feel energetically alive at the same time. 

I began taking my airpods with me to physical therapy. They play some great music there, but it is usually a radio station and I never know what is going to come on next. I have found that I do better at therapy when I listen to music that has specific BPMs (beats per minute). Higher numbers help me go faster when I’m on the bike. Lower numbers are great for stretching. Mid-numbers are the best to keep me focused when I am doing squats. I am still limping if I don’t use my cane. My body rocks out of my center of gravity when I walk unassisted. My PT was watching me obviously jamming while I was doing squat exercises he had assigned me and suddenly had an epiphany. 

“I have an idea. I want you to start finding SIMPLE exercise videos on YouTube with music you like and start doing them. I think it will help with your recovery by helping you release your fears.” His rationale was this-- music acts like a distraction for me, so I don’t focus on how I might fall, or how my knee might buckle, etc. “Music is great for the healing process”, he added.

How often do we say in our yoga practices to “mentally think ‘Sat’ on the inhale and ‘Nam’ on the exhale” as a way to keep us focused?  Do you find that meditation is easier or harder with mantra? Do you enjoy incorporating music in your practice? Why?

Sound heals.

The vibrations resonate with us, to our very cells! There are so many articles on the power of sound and how it affects us as we hear it and even long after the sound has subsided. Jamming it out now suddenly feels like I am doing more than just distracting myself from my Negative Mind. I now see it as raising my vibration, and assisting in my healing. And, if I can use music to help with my knee surgery recovery, I’m excited to explore whatever other areas of my life I can use it to heal and vibrate higher.

If you would like to join me in December, I will be taking a minimum of 3 minutes each morning to record my voice (using an app called VOICE LOOP) reciting a positive affirmation. As Savitree says in the pillar video Mantra: Your internal tool: “Sound made with your own voice is the most powerful healing tool you have. And you carry it wherever you go.”