Dear Yogi/ni friends,

With Glastonbury on our TV, radio and in the news I thought it might be an idea to speak about yoga and music.

Have you ever experienced that moment when you sink into musical beat; the feeling of breath and body aligning in perfect timing with a vinyasa. Flowing in rhythm, your body moves like an instrument in sync with the tempo; your breath’s inhale and exhale harmonising and stabilising your ever-fluctuating mind.  What was it about the music that aligned with your practice? The answer is not so much about the music, but the union of mind, body, breath, and beat.

Listening to music and practicing yoga are similar activities: they make us feel good and enhance our wellbeing. Music is as old as the human race and has existed through the evolution of culture. Just like yoga, studies have shown that music has physiological benefits as well; 400 separate scientific papers suggest that music can decrease anxiety and lower cortisol more effectively in patients about to undergo surgery than those who took anti-anxiety drugs. Recent studies have also shown that music can allow a person to enter a “flow state,” an “optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.”

When a flow state is reached, the brain transitions to a “borderline” state between ‘alpha waves’, which are associated with daydreaming, hypnosis, and REM sleep. That means the brain switches to temporarily deactivating the part of our prefrontal cortex that identifies with our sense of self. In other words, you’ve lost yourself to the moment.

At Aquarius yoga, we approach the idea of “flow” as a sort of letting go, and forgetting ourselves long enough to witness our practice. With the breath and the body, we allow ourselves to become anchored in the present moment. We are in full, direct participation with the activity at hand, and we have entered a flow state.

The practice of yoga was originally intended to lead the practitioner to a meditative state. This is why, in Amersham yoga classes, we use the word “flow” to talk about  a vinyasa, or why many vinyasa classes are called “flow” classes. If music as medication can also be thought of as a meditation, then why not invite yoga and music to work together to train the brain to reach a flow state—and stay there—and lead us toward greater fulfillment.

As Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi put it at a 2004 TED conference, “Flow is the secret to happiness and makes a life worth living.”

Summer term ends on Wednsday 31 July – Autumn term begins on Monday 02 September.

 Warmest Namaste:)