Music For Meditation

[Gareth]

I meditate to music very often, so I thought I'd share with you a list of my very favourite meditation albums.

Here it is:
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/electrop ... on_albums/

[Peter]

Thanks Gareth,

Very interesting. I will surely investigate the list. Never really meditated to music before; I often use nature sounds (like the sea or the rain etc.)
I will give music a try!

[JonW]

We did have a music/mindfulness thread running some time ago but I don't have the link to that. Gareth?
I often meditate to music.
I've narrowed my meditation selection down to 8GB which handily fits on a small iPod. So I just go to shuffle mode and wait to be surprised.
I think my musical taste is more sedate than Gareth's though. Then again, I'm probably old enough to be his grandpa.
Cheers!
Jon

[Peter]

Thanks Jon. It would be nice to have that link

[JonW]

Here you go, feller.
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3874
Every one a toe-tapper.
Cheers,
Jon

[Peter]

Thanks both of you!

I've discovered some pretty interesting music from the lists.

I've been practicing to the music (Burial for instance), and I like it a lot.
However one very important question arose:

Do you concentrate on the music, or do you do all sorts of meditations with the music; ie bodyscan etc?

[JonW]

"Do you concentrate on the music, or do you do all sorts of meditations with the music; ie bodyscan etc?"

Good question.
I only use music for sitting meditations. The music I use is pretty unobtrusive. No beats, no drums, no voices. My meditations tend to involve choiceness awareness (simply noticing whatever arises) rather than using specific anchors like the breath. Mostly, the music is like silence to me. If that makes any sense. Which it probably doesn't.
I once tried meditating to Motorhead's Ace Of Spades and, fine tune though it is, it didn't work in that context. Brian Eno is more my man.
Jon, Hove

[Peter]

Thanks Jon, I understand!

[Gareth]

Like Jon, I only use music for sitting meditation; I've never been much of a body-scanner.

For me, the music is the meditation. I just try and give my whole attention to it, and return to the music whenever it wanders. Lower key music does tend to lend itself to meditation more, but I don't necessarily have to be as ambient as Jon. I don't mind music with a little bit of texture -- just more to notice. I often find that lyrics can be a great anchor to the present moment too -- just trying to follow what the person is singing can really help to keep me in the present moment.

[JonW]

"For me, the music is the meditation. I just try and give my whole attention to it, and return to the music whenever it wanders."

Beautifully put, sir.
And, of course, the secret of meditation is that we become what we meditate on.
Jon