My gaze was fixed on his fingers moving deftly across the strings of his guitar. Words that came out of his mouth created a sensational effect on me. My body swayed along the gentle breeze which also seemed to be dancing to the tune that Vikram played that evening. In just a few moments, my body became still, my mind became still as if his music and I were no longer separate. That moment, I knew I was meditating.
“When the heart melts, music dawns, dance happens. Music is an essential part of the flowering of human potential. The journey from the head to the heart brings harmony, connectedness and a sense of belongingness which is what life is all about,” shares Bhanumathi Narasimhan (musician and Sahaj Samadhi Meditation teacher) while casually rocking on a chair and humming her favorite tune.
Meditation makes life harmonious like rhythms in music
"Meditation is the silence which manifests in the form of my music," says Vikram Hazra, whose music is soul-stirring and leaves you spellbound.
Harmony in sound is music and harmony in life can happen through meditation. When both the shores of sound and silence, music and meditation are inculcated in life, then perfection dawns! In life, things such as stress, misunderstandings in relationships, and ill health bring disharmony and make our life gloomy. When we meditate, we are able to tune our life the way we want to and our life becomes harmonious like rhythms in music.
Meditation not only helps in experiencing the richness of life but also helps witness the real us and connect to our self better.
Experience a glimpse of the infinite creativity
“Silence brings creativity! Whenever I cannot think of lyrics, I meditate which brings clarity and words just flow. It is like creativity just takes over”- Sahil Jagtiani, musician and teacher, YES programs for teens and young adults.
When we meditate, creativity dawns and the quality of our music changes. It’s like drawing from an ocean instead of a bucket of water. We start experiencing the unlimitedness of our capacity, capacity to both appreciate and create music.
Redefining your experience
“For me, meditation and music is the same. While singing, I am totally in the moment and with the music, it’s like meditating. Meditation has helped me redefine the experience of music in its highest spirits. The more I meditate, the more I understand the depth of music,” says Namita Malik, after a rocking satsang in the heart of the city Ahmedabad.
Meditation adds depth to your music. When you meditate, music comes naturally from the heart. Music has the ability to connect people together.
Music and meditation can happen anywhere and anytime, in your room, at the airport, in a car or next to a serene lake. The times when you are waiting for a flight or have breaks between meetings - just fill those moments with a few minutes of meditation and feel creative in singing to yourself because singing freely is an expression of absolute joy!
By Divya Sachdev and graphics by Niladri Dutta
The wisdom in this article is based on talks and discourses given by H.H Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in different satsangs around the world.
For any suggestions or feedback, email us at webteam.india@artofliving.org
