Meditation is an exercise that relaxes and concentrates the mind allowing the practitioner to gain a clearer perspective of what he or she is experiencing. Meditation is becoming an increasingly popular practice due to the great benefits it provides. Meditation music enhances and potentiates this mental exercise, making the practice more enjoyable. In this article, we’ll take a look at the ten different types of meditation music and the benefits you can get from each style.
10 Types of Meditation Music
1. Classical music
Classical music has the virtue of transmitting emotions to the listener. This meditation music directly benefits the mind by relaxing it, combats stress, enhances intelligence, develops creativity, and favors learning. Classical music transmits high energetic vibrations, which lifts the mood of the listener. Composers of classical music have the goal of creating uplifting melodies, and they do so quite effortlessly. Listening to classical music while meditating allows the individual to reach the maximum effectiveness of his or her practice. This point is extremely beneficial, as the practitioner has the ultimate goal of achieving peace of mind while meditating. Classical music facilitates the meditation process, making the practice pleasurable.
Popular classical meditation music includes songs like Clair De Lune, Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2, Gymnopedie No. 1, and many more. You can find classical meditation playlists on YouTube or Spotify to listen to during your meditation practice or create your playlist with classical meditation music that you admire or find yourself relaxing to.
2. Nature sounds
Recordings containing nature sounds such as rain, thunder, wind, waterfalls, birds, bee buzzes, blazing fire, and so on are ideal for meditation. These sounds remind us of our bond with nature, making us feel in harmony with the outside world. This type of meditation music eliminates stress, making the practitioner fully predisposed to this mental exercise. Listening to nature sounds releases endorphins, which are the hormones of psychological well-being. For this reason, this type of music combats depression, anxiety, and panic attacks, among other mental health disabilities. Listening to nature sounds not only benefits meditation, but the practitioner feels good throughout the day.
You might thoroughly enjoy meditating to this relaxing rainy window and soft thunder video on YouTube. The video plays for ten hours, so you can listen to it during a meditation session or all day at work as background noise or studying sounds to ease your nerves before a big exam. With this ten-hour video, you can meditate for as short or as long you need to for this meditation music.
3. Gregorian Chants
Gregorian chant is an evolution of Roman chant and belongs to the liturgy of the Catholic Church. Gregorian chant was created to inspire reverence, awe, and gratitude, both for those who sing and those who listen to these wondrous songs. The melody of the Gregorian chant is incredibly conducive to the practice of meditation. This music genre combats negative thoughts, strengthening positive emotions, and generates immediate psychological well-being. This music eliminates negative aspects of the mind, such as anger, sadness, and excessive worry. This facilitates meditation since this practice needs to empty the mind of all negativity to obtain a clear perspective of reality.
You can find Gregorian Chants playlists for your meditation practice on Spotify and YouTube. Play a meditation music playlist in a Gregorian chant style to calm the mind during stressful periods.
4. Ambient music
Ambient sounds are a genre of music that prioritizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure. This type of music is simply perfect for meditation, as it enhances mental concentration to the maximum. The practitioner frees himself from all the distractions that bother him. He can focus his mind on his inner world to find the existential answers he is looking for. The ambient music is aesthetically beautiful, which is an excellent stimulus for meditation practice. This type of meditation music is especially effective for those who find it difficult to concentrate when approaching the practice of meditation. Ambient music helps to master this mental exercise in a short time.
You can use playlists like Relaxing Ambient Music on Spotify or check out Quiet Quest Study Music’s YouTube channel for ambient tracks.
5. World music
World music is a musical genre that encompasses all the traditional genres of various ethnic groups and cultures of the world in a single category. This type of meditation music allows you to enjoy the sound of little-known instruments. Thanks to world music, we can discover the sounds emitted by Tibetan singing bowls, wind chimes, kalimba, ukulele, bamboo flute, among others. This music is highly beneficial when meditating and trying to calm the mind and body. These sounds have a positive impact on the individual, improving his or her mood considerably. The meditation practitioner discovers new sounds, which generates new neural connections. It benefits meditation, as this practice requires powerful mental energy.
You can listen to playlists on Spotify, such as Sound Healing | Bowls, Sound Bath, Tibetan Singing Bowls, and Tibetan Bowls. On YouTube, you can search for singing bowls, bamboo flutes, and other sounds that would help you relax.
6. Zen music
Zen music or meditative music is explicitly a musical genre that seeks to integrate both brain hemispheres, left and right, harmoniously. When both hemispheres integrate, the individual experiences inner peace, serenity, and spiritual awakening. This type of music strengthens concentration, creativity, and optimism towards life. Zen music was conceived to make meditation an enriching practice for the spirit. This type of meditation music benefits the daily life of the practitioner beyond meditation. The individual gains self-confidence, sleeps well, and improves interpersonal relationships. For the meditative practice to evolve daily, listening to different zen music melodies becomes convenient, as this is more stimulating for the brain.
You can find plenty of zen music playlists on Spotify and YouTube. You’ll even find live zen music playlists so you can join in and listen for hours at a time to help you relax during work or for your 15-minute meditation practice.
7. Binaural tones
Binaural sounds generate when you hear two tones in each ear at two slightly different frequencies. The brain creates a third sound, a product of the difference in frequencies, the binaural sound. This type of meditation music makes the meditation practitioner quickly reach deep relaxation. Binaural sounds work so that the mind is at peace, and meditation is effective. Binaural sounds remove anxiety and tribulations from the mind. The practitioner can explore his inner world and connects with his or her higher self. In this way, meditation evolves day by day, reaching more complex goals.
You can find playlists, such as Binaural Beats, Binaural Sounds, and Binaural Nature Sounds on Spotify. You can also search for similar keywords on YouTube to find binaural sounds or tones that help ease you into a meditative state.
8. Isochronic tones
Isochronic tones are sounds that are repeated at a specific time interval. An isochronous tone is formed by a sound and a silence of equal duration. This meditation music is a powerful tool to relieve stress and thus facilitate the meditation practice. Listening to isochronic tones while meditating helps to achieve a deep inner peace. This happens because the mind is emptied of negative thoughts that prevent the individual from connecting with his/her inner perfection. The benefits of isochronic tones positively influence the individual’s physical health, alleviating all kinds of pain.
9. Solfeggio Frequencies
Solfeggio frequencies are ancient musical frequencies that were part of Gregorian chants. These melodies were conceived to heal and bless both those who sang or listened to this music. The Solfeggio frequencies have the power to impact mind, spirit, and matter positively. These melodies produce peace of mind, relaxation, and serenity, fundamental elements in the practice of meditation. In addition, the Solfeggio frequencies help the healing of physical and mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. This music genre achieves that the individual reaches the goals that are proposed through his or her daily practice. There are twelve frequencies, which help different aspects, such as helping people overcome guilt or fear.
10. Chill out
Chill-out music is a meditation music genre that encompasses various styles of electronic music designed to relax the mind. This type of meditation music is created with electronic sounds, soft rhythms, and experimental touches that calm the mind. The chill-out music predisposes the individual to a deep peace so that later he or she begins to meditate. While meditating, the practitioner controls his or her breathing, empties his or her mind of intrusive thoughts, and connects with his true inner self. This type of meditation music is ideal for those who find it difficult to start meditating because they feel overwhelmed by daily life obligations. Chill-out music eliminates stress immediately, allowing the individual to breathe deeply and begin to explore his spirituality.
When to use music meditation
There are meditation practitioners who like to listen to music while meditating and others who don’t. Both options are valid since each practitioner can choose what seems best to him or her for his or her daily meditation. Suppose you prefer listening to a guided meditation without music. In that case, you can download the free Declutter The Mind app, where you’ll find countless music-less meditations you can follow along to.
Some experts claim that listening to music while meditating is not convenient, while others strongly recommend it. However, various studies affirm that meditation music can be good if you’re starting out, though some find it distracting to their mind. Many find music difficult to relax when first learning how to meditate. The meditation music can help beginners to feel calm when beginning this practice. This music is placed before starting the practice and at a low volume.
As you become more comfortable with meditation, you can challenge yourself by listening to meditations without music. You can even try a meditation course, which will guide you through a meditation practice without music for up to 30 days to help you form a consistent meditation practice and reap the scientific benefits of meditation.
Benefits of Meditation Music
Meditation music enhances the practice of this mental exercise. Here are its main benefits.
1. Deeper meditation is achieved
Practitioners have found that combining music with meditation creates a perfect atmosphere to eliminate stress. As long as you don’t fall asleep to the music, and ensure that you don’t allow your mind to wander, some meditation music can be beneficial to your practice. You can even listen to a guided meditation while playing meditation music on Alexa.
2. Strengthens mental concentration
The meditative process requires excellent concentration. The right music for this practice focuses the mind correctly, preventing the individual from wandering. Since there are ten types of meditation music, you’ll need to find the music that best connects with your brain.
3. Improves physical health
The union of meditation with music benefits the physical health of the practitioner. The body rests well, physical pain eases, and muscles relax. This benefit is also the case in music-less meditation.
4. Great motivation
Meditating with music is an excellent resource for those who don’t dare to start this practice because they think it’s boring. The beauty of the melodies makes this practice extremely pleasant.
5. Increased gratitude
The combination of meditation with music produces a lovely inner peace. This state of mind allows the individual to feel grateful for everything around him. Gratitude leads to the full realization of the individual.
Conclusion
Those who meditate should do so in the way they feel best, whether with meditation music or without it. Meditation music allows the individual to achieve a deep relaxation. In this way, the practitioner manages to dominate his mind, improving notably his quality of life. Meditation music comes in many different styles. The key is for the practitioner to choose the type of meditative music that makes them feel best. This type of music helps the individual engage with daily meditative practice. Meditation is a pleasurable activity that motivates the practitioner to continue evolving. Music is a powerful tool for the individual to meditate more and better as time goes on.
