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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.

At a GlanceMeditation 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.

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.

Benefits of Music Meditation

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

Meditationis 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:

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.

Effects of Music and Meditation

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 forAlzheimer’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.

Time RequiredWhile 20 minutes is a good minimum time for music medication, even one song can help reduce stress and restore energy.

Time Required

While 20 minutes is a good minimum time for music medication, even one song can help reduce stress and restore energy.

Does Sound Healing Actually Work?

Instructions for Music Mediation

Here’s how you can get started with music meditation:

Choose the Right Meditation Music

Choosemeditation musicthat can help you relax. This means finding music that you enjoy listening to—if you don’t enjoy classical music, for example, don’t choose it. You should also look for music that has a slower tempo, and preferably without lyrics, which can be distracting and can engage your conscious mind—the part of your mind that we hope to slow down.

Get Comfortable

Get into a comfortable position and relax. Many people think they need to sit with their legs crossed a certain way or use a meditation cushion, but really, whatever position you feel is comfortable is the position you should try.

Some people avoid lying down because they fall asleep if they’re tired; you can experiment and decide what’s right for you.

Relax and Breathe

Once you’ve found your position:

Breathe in deeply through your nose, gently expanding your belly rather than your chest, then exhale through your mouth.

Stay Focused on the Music

If you find yourself thinking about other things (or even thinking thoughts about the music), gently redirect your attention to the present moment, the sound of the music, and the feelings in your body that the music evokes. Try to really feel the music.

Set a Timer

Continue this practice for several minutes, until your time runs out. As thoughts come into your head, gently let them go and redirect your attention to the sound of the music, the present moment, and the physical sensations you feel.

The goal of this practice is to quiet your inner voice and just ‘be.’ So just ‘be’ with the music and fully immerse yourself, and you’ll feel more relaxed fairly quickly.

How to Use Music for Stress Management

Tips for Practicing Music Meditation

The good news is that meditation is something you can start easily. The key is to start small—a few minutes each day—and then keep working on your skills. Research has shown that meditating for as little as five to 10 minutes each day can be beneficial.Consistency is key, so try to set aside a little time each day to practice.

You may want to start out with just a few songs and work your way up to longer practice.​

Try Instrumental Music

If you find the music brings lots of thoughts, memories, and internal dialogue, switch to a different type of music. Instrumental music can come in many forms, including classical, jazz, new age, and more, and it can be less distracting than other types of music.

Create a Meditation Playlist

Create a playlist specifically for your meditation session and match the playtime to the desired length of your meditation session. You can time your practice with the number of songs you choose so you don’t have to worry if you are taking more time than you have.

Notice and Redirect Thoughts Without Judgment

If you find yourself ‘thinking too much,’ don’t beat yourself up over it; this is natural for those beginning meditation practice. Instead, congratulate yourself on noticing the internal dialogue and redirecting your attention to the present moment.

Takeaway

Best Guided Meditations

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Meditation and mindfulness: What you need to know.Innes KE, Selfe TK, Khalsa DS, Kandati S.Meditation and music improve memory and cognitive function in adults with subjective cognitive decline: A pilot randomized controlled trial.J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;56(3):899-916. doi:10.3233/JAD-160867Innes KE, Selfe TK, Khalsa DS, Kandati S.Effects of meditation versus music listening on perceived stress, mood, sleep, and quality of life in adults with early memory loss: A pilot randomized controlled trial.J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;52(4):1277-1298. doi:10.3233/JAD-151106Salimpoor VN, Benovoy M, Larcher K, Dagher A, Zatorre RJ.Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music.Nat Neurosci. 2011;14(2):257-262. doi:10.1038/nn.2726O’Donnell K, Dunbar M, Speelman D.Effectiveness of daily mindfulness meditation app usage to reduce anxiety and improve well-being during the covid-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial.Cureus. 2023;15(7):e42432. doi:10.7759/cureus.42432

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Meditation and mindfulness: What you need to know.Innes KE, Selfe TK, Khalsa DS, Kandati S.Meditation and music improve memory and cognitive function in adults with subjective cognitive decline: A pilot randomized controlled trial.J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;56(3):899-916. doi:10.3233/JAD-160867Innes KE, Selfe TK, Khalsa DS, Kandati S.Effects of meditation versus music listening on perceived stress, mood, sleep, and quality of life in adults with early memory loss: A pilot randomized controlled trial.J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;52(4):1277-1298. doi:10.3233/JAD-151106Salimpoor VN, Benovoy M, Larcher K, Dagher A, Zatorre RJ.Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music.Nat Neurosci. 2011;14(2):257-262. doi:10.1038/nn.2726O’Donnell K, Dunbar M, Speelman D.Effectiveness of daily mindfulness meditation app usage to reduce anxiety and improve well-being during the covid-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial.Cureus. 2023;15(7):e42432. doi:10.7759/cureus.42432

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Meditation and mindfulness: What you need to know.Innes KE, Selfe TK, Khalsa DS, Kandati S.Meditation and music improve memory and cognitive function in adults with subjective cognitive decline: A pilot randomized controlled trial.J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;56(3):899-916. doi:10.3233/JAD-160867Innes KE, Selfe TK, Khalsa DS, Kandati S.Effects of meditation versus music listening on perceived stress, mood, sleep, and quality of life in adults with early memory loss: A pilot randomized controlled trial.J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;52(4):1277-1298. doi:10.3233/JAD-151106Salimpoor VN, Benovoy M, Larcher K, Dagher A, Zatorre RJ.Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music.Nat Neurosci. 2011;14(2):257-262. doi:10.1038/nn.2726O’Donnell K, Dunbar M, Speelman D.Effectiveness of daily mindfulness meditation app usage to reduce anxiety and improve well-being during the covid-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial.Cureus. 2023;15(7):e42432. doi:10.7759/cureus.42432

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Meditation and mindfulness: What you need to know.

Innes KE, Selfe TK, Khalsa DS, Kandati S.Meditation and music improve memory and cognitive function in adults with subjective cognitive decline: A pilot randomized controlled trial.J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;56(3):899-916. doi:10.3233/JAD-160867

Innes KE, Selfe TK, Khalsa DS, Kandati S.Effects of meditation versus music listening on perceived stress, mood, sleep, and quality of life in adults with early memory loss: A pilot randomized controlled trial.J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;52(4):1277-1298. doi:10.3233/JAD-151106

Salimpoor VN, Benovoy M, Larcher K, Dagher A, Zatorre RJ.Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music.Nat Neurosci. 2011;14(2):257-262. doi:10.1038/nn.2726

O’Donnell K, Dunbar M, Speelman D.Effectiveness of daily mindfulness meditation app usage to reduce anxiety and improve well-being during the covid-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial.Cureus. 2023;15(7):e42432. doi:10.7759/cureus.42432

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