Ever since I can remember I have been easily influenced by sounds. I used to spend hours in the one local museum, listening to the recordings of whale song, over and over again. It made me feel peaceful and allowed my mind to drift to the furthest reaches of my young imagination.

Later when I started listening to more music, I noticed that certain genres were too ‘heavy’ for me, I would find myself becoming more aggresive after listening to certain songs or beats and vice versa, I could also calm myself down by listening to calming music.

Sound has been used as a healing and calming agent for many hundreds of years. Many religions have chants and songs of praise and even in pagan times there were songs to be sung for welcoming the harvest, the rain, the Spring and so forth. Toning is a way of using sound to heal the body and even those who cannot hear can use sound to heal by feeling the vibrations caused by a certain sound.

Animal sounds.

Whales can communicate over vast distances using sound and bats send out a pitch so high, we as humans cannot hear it. Many animals seem to ‘talk’ to one another using a variety of sounds and there are of course the birds like parrots who can mimic sounds of other species.

Sound in our lives.

So how do we use sound to heal and connect?

Think of walking next to the sea, imagine the sound of the waves and the cry of the sea-gulls.. feeling relaxed? Even just the memory of some sounds can make us feel calm and centred within seconds and, as the opposite is also true, it is important that we are conscious about which sounds we expose ourselves to.

Have a music day.

Take a day or afternoon and go through your cd collection, you’ll be surprised at what you find and what feelings are brought to the fore. You may laugh at the music from your first date and cry at the song which was playing just after your first child was born. You may miss old friends and decide to connect again. Music can be a storehouse for memories and listening to it can recall events almost as if they happened yesterday. Having a ‘music day’ every now and then is a wonderful way of accessing a whole host of emotions.

Focus.

Use music to help you focus while working on a project or studying for an exam, find the music which most helps to focus your mind and compile yourself a cd to play at these times.

Motivate.

Use music to up your tempo when exercising or to wake you up when you have to get up earlier than usual. Preset your radio or cd player to switch on along with your alarm, a much nicer way to start your day!

Sound does not only have to involve listening, making sound can also be a healing experience, think of how good you feel singing in the shower! If you are someone who enjoys singing but you have let it fall by the wayside due to work or other commitments then make the effort to fit some singing into your life. Find a local choir or join a group at your church or community centre and free your voice, you’ll be amazed at how it impacts on your life.

However you use sound in your life, remember it is one more blessing we have been given to connect with our inner selves and the world around us in ever more authentic ways.