It's pretty late and I have work in the morning but here I am listening to L.A Takedown and picturing in my minds eye that I'm floating in a body of water while watching a hazy sunset full of oranges and pinks as the water swells with the ebb and flow of the tide.
a link so you can listen too https://youtu.be/g3JogMjRDD0
(it'd be cool to hear what it makes you see/feel, and/or what songs bring strong vibes to you)
Another song that comes to mind is Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich https://youtu.be/E_jwv2QMtAo
(my favorite minimalist piece actually)
I find my self listening to these pieces when I am looking for solitude and the current environment doesn't allow it. It is almost like my own form of meditation listening to them. An escape from the chaos really - or diving into it, depending on your view minimalist music.
Recently, I have been adding mantras into my yoga practice. I am hardly a yogi, I've been on and off for the better part of three years. It is something that helps give a break to my thinking mind. As a self diagnosed over thinker; i.e always thinking about the possibilities of the future, over criticizing everything (mostly myself), It can get pretty loud up there. This break is always welcome.
man·tra
ˈmantrə
noun
- -(originally in Hinduism and Buddhism) a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation.
- -a Vedic hymn.
A quick Google search will show you that a lot of people take this really seriously! Which is neat! I'm positive those people are the most down to earth and most flexible people ever. It comes from the Sanskrit word "mantrana", meaning suggestion. Chanting, whispering, or mentally repeating these phrases can help calm the mind and bring peace to the body. There is also claim that it literally fills each cell of the body with energy, destroying bad microbes and restoring health and energy. Well. I'm no scientist, so I can't speak for that, but I can vouch for the calming of the mind.
There was a phrase that I came across while researching this more deeply that I really enjoyed. It stated that "Mantras are protection for the mind". Isn't that neat?! That uttering these words can protect your mind, like some kind of spiritual armor fighting off all the bad vibes - and we can all use that. And the beauty of mantras you ask?
IT CAN BE ANYTHING!
Of course there are traditional mantras that go back to Buddhist and Hindu roots BUT it can be ANYTHING.
examples:
- "i accept" - this can go into "I accept where I am today", or "I accept that this is where I'm supposed to be right now"
- "let go" - maybe Elsa was onto something
-"be present"
-"everything is as it should be"
-"the universe is still forming and so am i"
(those last two are some of my favz)
They are exactly what you need them to be. To be a better person. A calmer person. More understanding. anything. And I luv that. I think self care is something that is too often forgotten about and these little sayings could help put your mind and anxieties at ease. Sooth the psyche.
Yoga has shown me that I struggle with living in the moment. I am never just doing one thing. I'm often a three screen-er, i.e the t.v on, laptop open, and texting someone. At work I listen to podcasts and get caught in my thoughts about whats going on, what needs to happen, and all of the consequences that I can think of, and how to possibly tackle them. There is an argument that this is just an American Ideology (this in itself is another conversation) that I have been raised with. Just twenty minutes of yoga makes all of that noise, the constant rat race, turn into silence.
Silence.
And in that silence I mutter these little mantras to myself and they remind me to be present, connect with the moment. Accept myself. Whateva I want. In that silence I exist.
Simply exist.
