This just popped up on the radar. I have been very busy today sorting out paperwork- aaaaaarghh!- and suddenly here comes this brilliant inspiration about which I am wildly excited! The Sync Project- THESYNCPROJECT.COM- all about researching, understanding and harnessing the healing power of music. In my world it doesn't get much better than that. Please check it out!!!
And while you're at it- watch this video if you haven't already seen it. And of course if you have, then I have no doubt that you will want to watch it again! And then you will absolutely want to watch the movie Alive Inside! So inspiring!
Just got back from an amazing 7-day Kirtan Camp with Jai Uttal last night! I believe the end count was 55 kirtanistas chanting their hearts out... crying, laughing, singing, praying and playing together. An atmosphere of love, nurturing and support...
I realized sometime over the course of the last few days that I felt physically better than I have in a very long time. Was it the food- mostly raw, all organic... the climate- San Anselmo, CA, just north of SF- and the awareness of what an incredible physical drain Florida has on my body... the music- chanting, playing harmonium and drumming for the better part of 7-8 hours a day... the devotion, the bhakti, the shakti? Well, I think it had to be all of the above... again my favorite word comes to mind- WHOLISTIC. Healing on all levels- body, mind, heart and soul. Giving myself space to be and to heal. I realize how little music I have been enjoying for myself and my own spirit lately.
Such a good reminder of why I do what I do.
So simple.
Music heals.
Sound heals.
Love heals.
Here is a just a glimpse of the absolute sweetness of it all- which also speaks to Jai's generosity and spirit of willingness to share with no agenda of his own. Someone asked about how he combined other instruments with his kirtan and specifically enjoyed his use of the banjo- which is something I have always loved in his music, so the next day he brought it in.
I have a particular fascination with the fact that certain music can evoke such a powerful emotional response- part of what makes it such a powerful healing modality... that it can assist us in accessing deep places within ourselves of joy, angst or ecstasy- sometimes taking us on a white water raft trip and sometimes a gentle sail on a balmy sea and ultimately deposit us back on the shore feeling soothed, peaceful and whole once again.
Daniel Levitin, author of Your Brain on Music, psychologist and researcher has been exploring this curious power that music has over us for many years. As more and more study is being done in the field of psychoacoustics- the effect of music on the mind- scientists are beginning to get clues about this phenomenon. Yesterday there was a fascinating article in the New York Times Science Section which actually followed up one written several years ago specifically about Mr. Levitin's works and his book. This latest article has some very interesting input from a number of musicians as well, including Paul Simon and Bobby McFerrin.
Enjoy the read. This may actually open up to an interactive page where you can listen to different pieces of music and then enter your response. If the link doesn't work (I couldn't find hte "embed" code) then just cut and paste the url. It's worth it if this topic is even mildy interesting to you.