Music can be a tool to aid in healing and relaxation. Relaxing sounds encourage us to deepen our breathing, which in turn can encourage many positive side effects like deepened sleep, decreased anxiety, lower heart rate, and decreased stress. Playing harp music is something I do often as a healing modality for bedside therapy, funerals, rites of passage, and for my children when they are ill or need help falling asleep.

Below are ten ways to use sound and music to improve and heal your life. All of these suggestions include awareness of breath and augmenting of breath. So much of our own wellness is linked to breath.

Music can be a tool to aid in healing and relaxation. Practicing meditation, for example, can be enhanced with music. Relaxing sounds encourage us to deepen our breathing, which in turn can encourage many positive side effects like deepened sleep, decreased anxiety, lower heart rate, and decreased stress.

Below are 10 sounds that can significantly improve and heal your life. All of these suggestions include an awareness and augmentation of breath. So much of our wellness is linked to our breath.

1. Harp Music: As a harpist, I am biased about the healing power of the harp. An ancient instrument, the harp has long been and continues to be synonymous with peace and love. Follow my YouTube channel here.
2. Tibetan Singing Bowls and Gongs: Warm, sonorous tones are created when a mallet engages with a metal instrument such as a gong or a singing bowl. Often associated with meditation practice, this sound encourages deep breathing, and can help alleviate stress.
3. Crystal Bowls: Crystal bowls are created to play one note, but hold within in the vibration many overtones. These singular note instruments can align with particular chakras and be used passively for listening, or actively for chanting with.
4. Chanting or Singing a Mantra: Chanting is a repeated sung prayer. Singing is known can be calming and centering. Vibrations of your voice resonate within your body and can be healing and uplift ones mood.
5. Nature Sounds: Spending time outdoors in nature can be very rejuvenating, stimulating, and centering. Engaging with natural sounds (singing birds, lapping waves, blowing wind, rustling forest leaves) is very healing for the spirit.
6. Drumming: Group drumming is very trance-like and resonates fully in the body. It involves tactile touching of hands on the drum head, which in turn resonates with ones entire body. Drumming with others is healing twofold: You feel connected to your own sense of self, and you also connect with people.
7. Tuning Forks: Tuning forks can be placed physically on one’s body so that it resonates within. Like singing bowls, just one note is played and overtones vibrate later.
8. Singing with others: Joining a community choir or church choir is a great way to create beautiful music. Like chanting, you stimulate your brain
9. Dancing: More physically demanding than the other suggestions, dancing usually involves music. Dancing is a great way to shake out the blues and boost one’s metabolism and mood.
10. Sound bath: A sound bath is a passive way to take in ambient music. Often enjoyed by live instruments, physically close to the body, a sound bath encourages listeners to recline and rest.