How to Practice Music Meditation

By Elizabeth Scott

At a Glance

Meditation is a mindfulness practice that involves focusing your attention on a particular sensation, sound, image, mantra, or other focal point. Music can be a helpful tool for bringing about a greater state of relaxation and providing a focal point as you build greater awareness. If you want to get started with music meditation, explore some of the following tips on using music as an effective meditative tool. 

Music has many wonderful benefits for stress management and overall health. It can help you calm your physiology without making a conscious effort, and that can alleviate stress in your mind. Music can also lift your mood, slow your breathing, and create other stress-inducing changes. 

Meditation is also one of the most popular stress management strategies for good reason—it brings short-term benefits like a calm mind and body and can build resilience toward stress over time. Practicing meditation can help:

-Reduce cortisol levels
- Improve stress management
- Increase self-awareness
- Increase immunity
- Build greater empathy
- Reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression
- Improve sleep quality

Combining music with meditation can deepen the positive effects and bring you greater stress relief.

As a bonus, for many people who are beginners to meditation or perfectionists, music meditation can feel simpler and more instantly relaxing than other forms of practice. It's a stress relief technique anyone can use. With regular practice, this meditation can help you to manage better whatever stress comes.

Research on the effects of music and meditation is promising.

One study found that both meditation and listening to music had positive effects on memory and cognitive performance in adults experiencing subjective cognitive decline, which is a predictor for Alzheimer's disease.

Another study found that both meditation and music listening have beneficial effects on stress, mood, sleep, and well-being in adults with subjective cognitive decline.

Listening to music can also help increase dopamine in the brain, resulting in euphoria and happiness. Pairing music with meditation can help you stick with your practice and enjoy it more.

Effects of Music and Meditation

Health  >  Mindfulness and Meditation

Updated on January 22, 2024

HEALTH

ENTERTAINMENT

FITNESS

STYLE

VERY WELL MIND

Music meditation involves focusing your attention and awarness on your breath as you meditate and listen to music. Meditation music can include relaxing music specifically created to help people get into a meditative state, but it can also include any music that you find enjoyable.

Benefits of Music Meditation