Integrating music therapy into daily life for the well being of the family:
What makes up the well being of a family? This is a complex equation involving the interplay of several factors which makes up the mosaic of what one would call ‘well being’. A family is a happy one, only when there is complete harmony between the family members as well as an inner peace and happiness of each family member.
Well being involves a harmonious balance of physical health, emotional health, mental and spiritual health.
Taking up each factor, one by one:
Physical health:
Staying physically healthy is a combination of healthy eating habits and exercising regularly. It is basically a lifestyle choice that has to be sustained on an ongoing basis.
Music plays an important role in an exercise regimen. Depending on the kind of fitness regimen, one can use the appropriate music to complement the exercise. Soothing tranquil music and chanting when used to complement Pranayams (breathing exercises) and Suryanamaskaar in Yoga makes it a holistic experience. Exercises focused on boosting the cardio fitness levels like running, brisk walking, using the cross trainers invariably rely on fast paced peppy music. This adds the fun element to the workout and makes it an enjoyable experience. Most regular gym goers have a collection of ‘gym music ‘ playlists on their i-pods or cell phones for this.
There are many fitness routines which have a unique music of their own to complement the exercises: for example, Tai Chi and Zumba.
Healthy eating is a lifestyle choice and the foundation for this is best laid early in life, especially for children. It not only involves the preparation of food but also the atmosphere and ambience at the dinner table when the food is consumed. Cooking together as a family bonding exercise is something, that has been an important part of my life when bringing up my children. Most weekends, would see the entire family pitching in the meal preparations and serving of the same. Often, there was a lot of spontaneous singing accompanying this. This has largely enriched our musical experience with special memories associated with certain songs. A unique emotional memory bank as it were.
The dinner table is a place where the best conversations take place and this when all other distractions like cell phones are consciously avoided. Having soothing music, typically classical music in our household is a regular feature. It keeps the atmosphere relaxed at meal times and this in turn aids digestion of the food.
Thus, we can see how integrating two seemingly disparate factors like staying physically healthy, and music, actually has many positive effects at several levels.
Emotional health:
“Man is not an island”, and is intrinsically wired to connect and communicate with his fellow beings. Personality traits like self esteem, confidence levels, a sense of inner peace are largely dependent on the scope and depth of the interpersonal relations that we, as human beings have with those around us.
Focusing on the issue with reference to the context of family: We are constantly interacting at different levels with different family members on an individual level, and also as a whole, which is more than the sum total of the aforementioned interactions. The most important feature is the ‘musical experience’ that we share as a family. That is unique to each family with its interpersonal dynamics. Some of the ways in which music works therapeutically is for example, listening to music by way, of say, attending music concerts together. The shared experience, ensued by discussing the concert, sharing each others opinions, impressions and ideas of the concert leads to a bonding that goes beyond the music itself. This bonding plays an important role in fostering a sense of closeness. A comfort level that enables us to feel confident ‘in our skin’ so to speak. It is this comfort level which fosters a positive sense of self esteem. Thus even though the method is musical, the goals are non musical.
Another aspect of music working therapeutically to strengthen emotional health is when there are sessions of musical improvisations; a common game played is that of antakshari, where there is song singing, improvisations and it is a fun filled activity. Here also, there is a bonding and ensuing positivity.
With elderly members in the family, singing and reminiscing about musical experiences associated with the songs is therapeutic, because it makes the older family members connect with the younger ones, transcending the generation gap. The frenetic pace of modern life often leaves the elder family members feeling marginalised and lonely, so this sense of connectedness and belonging that is fostered by bonding over Music plays a very important role in their emotional well being and health.
Mental health:
This is closely linked to our emotional health and are often like two sides of a coin. Most of what has been written earlier, holds true in this case as well.
A happy home atmosphere where the communication channels are open and alive, fosters a sense of peace, which is essential to good health and well being. The earliest signs of a troubled mind or inability to cope with social demands are usually spotted first in the family. Music can play a big role in building the connections for bonding and consequently sharing dreams, joys, fears and hopes. The various ways in which this can happen is by:
(a) Receptive methods like listening to music together, as mentioned earlier
(b) Participative methods like singing songs, playing an instrument, or even learning/ or teaching music
(c) Discussions of musical ideas which can pave the way for exchange of thoughts in other areas by building a rapport between the family members.
Spiritual health:
Having compassion, the capacity to forgive, to love and focus on a sense of fulfillment is a sign of good spiritual health. Our faith, value systems, beliefs and morals define our spirituality.
It is important to remember that a healthy spiritual life impacts and improves very other sphere of well being.
It is an ability to experience and more importantly integrate meaning and purpose in life by our connectedness with ourself, our family, the social milieu that we live in, and the environment. Art, Music, Literature, Dance, and Nature, are the ways to help us in doing so.
This can be achieved either through active expression of emotions by learning and practising the aforementioned methods or even by experiencing and enjoying the various forms by passive means as a listener or rasika.
As a family, incorporating these practices into daily life has helped a lot. The daily evening ritual of lighting the lamp and chanting our evening prayers reinforces our identity. More than a religious ritual, it underscores a familial bond amongst us. The literature in our classical compositions, focus on various aspects of a meaningful life and singing these compositions or even listening to them regularly in a way moulds the character and helps in instilling a value system.
Another technique, at home is having the sound of the tanpura playing early in the morning. The rich resonance and svara combination of the two basic notes has a serenity and comfort level that is immeasurable. It is deeply contemplative and helps in constructive introspection. When one reflects inwards, our actions become more consistent with our beliefs and values.
Thus we see, how, in various ways, music plays an invaluable role in creating, restoring and most importantly maintaining a harmonious balance amongst all the different aspects of health to create a deep, meaningful and enriching sense of well being.
