"I find that in making (playing) music I enter a meditative state. Im sure there are many definitions of meditation. By meditative state, I mean an experience that is categorically different than what we experience in our usual mundane activities. I have experienced in myself that this musical meditation has the potential to relax me, focus my attention, stop the inner dialogue and open up a connection to a more fundamental (some say higher) state of consciousness. In this respect the flute can be considered a transformative or meditational tool.
Once music making was open to everyone. Now, it has become the provenance of a select few who have the talent and dedication to master these difficult modern instruments. Musicians have become professionals and the rest of us are an audience.
This was not deliberate. But, it is unfortunate. Now the vast majority of us don't make music, we listen to music. The experience of making music and listening to it are not the same. It is as if instead of dancing we were content to watch others as they danced. We can derive a certain type of pleasure thereby but it is not the same as dancing ourselves. We have become spectators instead of participants. And, our bodies, hearts and minds are diminished thereby.
The simple musical instruments on which earlier peoples played - and in many cultures still do play - continue to exist. A lot of us were unaware of this. We thought that the band instruments that we were introduced to in school were all that was available to someone who wanted to make music. And, the music we were taught to play was very regimented and static. It was not our own inner music but some other persons music. Fortunately, the simple instruments of our ancestors such as the hand drums, thumb piano and Native American flute are still available They are being rediscovered. These simple instruments can be played with little effort by almost anyone. I bear witness that this is true.
I have developed a relationship with the Native American flute. When I play, I am almost instantly transported out of myself into a place of deep relaxation and enjoyment. I can only call this feeling meditative. Any worries, cares, problems that I think I have, immediately disappear. When I stop - after a few minutes of half an hour it doesn't matter - I feel clean, relaxed and refreshed. Perhaps it has something to do with the rhythmical breathing or the dancing of the fingers over the tone holes. I don't know what causes it. I'll leave it to someone else will seek a scientific explanation of the phenomena.
John Stillwell, http://www.atflutes.com/musical-meditation-or-therapy-with-native-american-style-flute
“Music in the soul is heard by the universe.”
Lao Tzu
“Music gives soul to the universe and wings to the mind.”
Plato
“If you want to find the secrets of the universe,
think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.”
Nicola Tesla
Music is harmonic vibration. Rhythmic sounds are combined in pleasing ways to express thoughts and emotions. Music evolved from the need to communicate.
In Quantum Theory, vibration is fundamental to all matter. Thus our body is home to energy and vibration. The space within each cell can be thought of as energy. That means the body is made up of a lot of energy, vibrating at different frequencies. Cells and organs are affected by sound energy. Sound Therapy seeks to restore healthy vibrations to our body.
All energy healing practices acknowledge the existence of Chakras-- energy centers in the body—where energy and matter meet. They are circular vortexes of energy located on seven different points along the spinal column. Meridians further direct the energy outward to the body’s organs. Chakras in the body absorb energy from the surrounding area. Each Chakra has its own resonance and responds favorably to specific vibrations. Certain sounds (including chanting and vocalizations) clear energy pathways of any blockage.
Music as sound energy enters the spinal cord via motor nerves and stimulates the brain’s reward centers releasing endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. Sound energy also strengthens and re-tunes synapses. The brain pathways that process pain also process music. In this way, musical energy can alter the perception of pain and reduce anxiety.
Ancient Shamans used music to alter consciousness in their healing rituals. By drumming and chanting, shamans interceded between the spiritual world and the temporal world on behalf of ailing tribal members. In the spirit world they were given the cure. (Like Shamans, therapists now treat autism, dementia, depression and other psycho-social and physical ailments with the use of music.) Shamans, healers, and medicine men around the world also used various kinds of wind-blown flutes in their healing practices. According Ute-Tiwa Shaman Joseph Rael, the flute connects the physical world with the non-physical. The flute is the oldest melodic instrument and has been found in every part of the world.
The Native American-Style Flute is often played in solo due to its melodic scale and unique tonal qualities. However, this versatile instrument is also capable of playing chromatic scales: in Blues, Middle Eastern, Oriental, Celtic, and other styles, and accompanied by other instruments. It is the ideal instrument for cultivating self-expression and creativity. The line of High Spirits Flutes we promote are available in bass, mid-range and high-range in various keys. The sounds of these flutes are well-suited for meditative and therapeutic application.
Meditative and Restorative Aspects of Playing the Native Style Flute
Physiological
Increased HRV (heart rate variability) metrics- playing versus calm listening
Increased alpha and theta brain waves (light meditative state) after 90 seconds of playing
Breath control—slower effective breathing benefits similar to practice of Qi Gong
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Cognitive
Increased beta waves (alert thinking) among experienced players
Engages the visual, auditory, and motor centers
Memory enhancement
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Emotional
Mood elevation through positive expression
Relieves stress by providing a creative outlet
Achievement of a desire to love and self-express
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Spiritual
Sound of flute resonates with the heart chakra
Flute becomes alive with the physical representation of our feelings and spirit
Adaptable to religious and/or palliative service
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Social
Positive interactive activity with like-minded people
Opportunity to forge relationships across generational barriers
Respecting cultural traditions of native ancestors
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Song-Within
Interactive Workshop & Classes
Native Style Flute
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