Colonial Settlement

Whenever we see music described as “just” a stress-reliever, we tend to bristle at the dismissive tone of the comment.  It betrays a lack of understanding and appreciation of music’s value. On the other hand, music can be a real life saver when the world threatens to become overwhelming.

Our featured music lover this month contacted us because she wanted to introduce us to music that has truly transformed her life. The music she shared with us helps her focus better, be more creative in her work and more accepting of things she can’t change. Above all, it has exponentially increased her capacity to be happy and peaceful and to serve others, which are her greatest desires.

You may relate to her situation. She is in her early fifties, a psychologist and gerontologist.  She has a 2 hour commute to work and another 2 hours’ drive home. In between she works 8 hours conducting research on aging that includes a focus on end of life care.  She grew up loving music typical of her generation: Arrowsmith…The Rolling Stones…Carly Simon…Pat Benatar. She played guitar when she was young. A few years ago, during her mid-forties, the daily grind and growing stresses at home really began to wear her down.  (By the way, recent research suggests that the period from age forty to the mid-fifties is one of the most challenging and even unhappy times of life for many Americans.)

She started taking yoga to deal more directly with stress. She experimented with various kinds of yoga and settled on the Kundalini form, whose mantras and meditations were deeply calming for her. (See Ang Sang Waha Guru below for more on Kundalini Yoga.) That led her to discover the music she surrounds herself with nowadays. She listens in the car, in the gym, at home. She was raised a Catholic, but doesn’t see any conflict between religion and this kind of nondenominational “spiritual awakening.”

YouTube videos of a few of her favorite performers are offered below, with Josh’s comments. As you will see, this music comes in a wide variety of interesting forms. Let us know how you respond to what our interviewee calls “my music.” Tell us about the music that helps you deal with stress, that calms and frees you too.

Ang Sang Wahe Guru  

This famous kirtan or “praise eulogy” expresses a universal truth. Its essential message is that dynamic, loving energy, which is the Source Of All, dances within everyone’s cells. This piece is an example of a Kundalini Yoga Mantra Meditation. Kundalini Yoga  is called the “Yoga of Awareness” by its practitioners. It draw heavily on ancient sacred lyrics, or mantras, and aims to”cultivate the creative spiritual potential of a human being to uphold values, speak truth, and focus on the compassion and consciousness needed to serve and heal others.”

This performance unfolds with a hypnotically gentle rhythm  of 48 pulses per minute presented in a recurring series of four phrases, a peace-inducing rhythm reflecting a body at rest. The voices of the chorus are deeply moving as they sing in a narrow range that evokes a sense of warmth and intimacy, with the pure sound of duetting recorders providing contrast.