There is no doubt that sound can stress us out. It’s impossible to ignore the wail of an ambulance or a needy baby, or the racket of a leaf blower on a fall morning. Even more subdued noises, like chewing or off-key humming, can be enough to put us on edge.

But the power of sound works the other way too. Some sounds are encoded with deep meaning and memory: a parent’s lullaby, the crackle of a campfire, the new nightly tradition of cheers and claps for front-line workers around the world. And increasingly, sound is also therapy—witness the rise of sound baths, a healing practice that offers meditation, rest, and simple permission to quiet the mind. Quiet…through sound.

Listening to Sounds

Music

Music can transform our mental state and transport us to other

places, both from our memories and even to imagined other worlds. One of the primary reasons we all meditate is to go inward and shut out the external world for a while. As we sit and close our eyes for that inward journey, we might need assistance in settling into a calm meditative state.

Some instruments are better suited for creating that meditative space we seek. Here are some that work well: flute, bells, string instruments, drums, Tibetan singing bowls.

Vocalizing Sounds

What Is a Mantra?

Simply put, a mantra is a word, sound, syllable, or phrase that is

repeated over and over again during meditations. It is said to have a powerful vibrational resonance.

Meditation mantras are words or phrases you can sing, chant, hum, or repeat silently in your mind as you meditate. They’re all designed to bring you into a state of deeper presence and awareness.

So, how do meditation mantras work?  Well, firstly, meditation mantras are designed to give the mind an object to focus on. When you have an object of focus, it becomes easier to steady the mind. Secondly, ancient mantras have specific sound frequencies and meanings that soothe the senses and facilitate greater mindfulness.

 Mindful Singing

Singing is a way to just let go. The interesting thing about this is that it’s really a process of exploration, giving oneself permission to explore. It’s still mindfulness practice—It’s grounded in directly experiencing the sensations of present moments without judgment or interpretation.

The other thing that happens when we vocalize, which is important, is we’re really massaging our body from the inside out—So it really is a gesture of self-compassion. If you sit and sing, you can feel it in your chest, you can feel parts of your body vibrating, and it’s a pleasant feeling. It tends to help the muscles relax and helps the tightness and the constriction we feel when we get a lot of anxiety or stress from tension.

 You feel whatever it is you’re feeling in a complete way, and you express that in song. So, if you’re sad, you can sing a sad song, if you’re happy, you sing a happy song. 

Another thing about it, from the brain science point of view, is that singing stimulates the pleasure center of the brain. By linking meditation to pleasure it’s programming us to do it again.