Today Im sharing with you some work that was published a couple years ago, in the Fierce Truth Magazine I write the Movement Matters column for. This magazine is going through a huge transformation to keep up with the modern times and how we like to access information and I want to invite you to take a look, subscribe if it resonates - if not keep joining me in this space where I will share my more treasured pieces on subjects I ponder.
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Synchronicity between music and movement
Want to work on your body? Get active and move.
Want to work on your mind and firm up your brain? Listen to music.
There are very few things that stimulate the brain the way music does. Throughout the highs and lows of life, the changing landscape and activities we partake in, we age and the body begins to deteriorate including our brain. If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout this process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.
When I wake up feeling lethargic, unmotivated, uninspired and straight up agitated, I like to push myself to overcome my minds temper tantrum and not allow it to rule my mood for the day. I don’t want to let my low point stop me from reaching my high point, which I know I can achieve through getting active and moving my body. Movement in the muscles helps your body release endorphins, proteins (hope molecules) and dopamine. We know science has proven the long-term benefits of movement, but we still need something that makes the stepping out of bed part, enjoyable. I don’t just believe; I know that music is my ritual that helps me achieve that.
One of the first things that happen to the brain when it interprets music, is the triggering of pleasure centres in the brain that release dopamine and neurotransmitters that help you feel happy. The response is so quick, the brain can anticipate the most pleasurable peaks in familiar music and prime itself with an early endorphin rush. Throwing on some headphones, cranking up the tunes, and what happens? Your fingers begin to tap, you might even find yourself bobbing your head and before you know it you are up on your feet popping out some sweet moves that no one has seen since your first blue light disco.
My taste in music is broad. I have music for every different mood I am in and I love discovering new artists that I can groove out to for a while, use in my yoga classes and pump out my morning run with the dogs, earbuds supplying the stream of motivation I need. Sometimes my inspiration comes from podcasts and lectures for a particular subject I am studying and other times it might even be a chat to a friend while I walk. However, knowing music not only lifts my mood but also exercises my brain really inspires me to use it as my go to tool for motivation.
Stereo Systems put out vibrations that travel through the air and are interpreted by our ear drums after traveling into the ear canal. These vibrations tickle the eardrum and are transmitted into an electrical signal that travels through the auditory nerve to the brain stem, where it is reassembled into something we perceive as music. You may not be aware, but the brain has to do a lot of computing to make sense of these vibrations. Music is based on a relationship between the notes, making it structural, mathematical and architectural.
New music challenges the brain in a way that old music doesn’t. This process may feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable at first, however, the unfamiliarity forces the brain to understand the new sound. Perhaps when teaming new music with exercise, choose movement that brings you pleasure already and help release happy hormones while the brain struggles to interpret the new sounds.
Pay attention to how your body reacts to the different forms of music. Pick the kind that works for you, because what inspires one person might not gel with the next. After all, the reason to use music as a tool for motivation, is because it makes us feel better, not worse. Our taste in music is as unique as we are, and this is something to be celebrated. I find on days I step into the yoga space with the incredible students who show up to their mats, we aren’t always down for meditation Zen notes. What really works for us is a tune that transports all of us to a place where our mind and body can relax. Think beach vibes and alternative artists. Not every day, but when it’s needed there’s no denying it. The music inspires us to release any agitation we feel, the mind and body become more synchronised and our movements flow. This process can be intuitive and connect us more to ourselves or to those we are sharing space with.
So, do you have a song that makes you want to move? To dance? To groove and move in a completely free and empowering way? Is there a song that will lift your spirits and take you to that place that you know inspires you to get active and will feed you in a full mind-body workout?
Schedule some time into your busy week to find your groove and utilise music as a tool to motivate you. Movement is powerful, music is powerful and we can transform ourselves by integrating the two within our lives, creating beautiful synchronicity.
Light&Love
Leila Verban
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