The Power of Meditation for Music Students

As musicians, we play our best when we feel our best! I’ll add to this and say that, we play our best when we can also get out of the way and allow the music to flow through us.

In the Disney movie, Soul, there is reference to a place they call, “The Zone.” As the movie describes it, it is “a place between the physical and the spiritual.”

Now this is great and all but what does this really mean?

It means that we play our best when we can tap into this “zone”! And in the zone, our sense of time becomes altered and we enter a deep flow state. Deeply immersed in whatever it is we are doing.

How to access the zone:

First off, we must understand that “The Zone” is one of a human being’s natural states.

As babies, toddlers, and children we are so connected to ourselves and our inner world made up of feelings, needs, interests, wants, emotions, talents, humor etc. The beautiful thing as well is that, in our earliest years we can be connected most to the state of JOY.

Joy is a state of being of contentment and of peace. It does not seek to change or enhance the present moment in anyway. It is fulfillment and gratitude. It is why babies, toddlers and children have the most pure energy. An aura of wonder.

Of course, we do live on planet Earth. And here on Earth there are many things that can inflict trauma on our developing brains and bodies. It is trauma that can ultimately disconnect us from ourselves. Because we have to lower the volume on joy and raise the volume on survival. The nervous system then becomes either hypo or hyper activated. Perhaps not 24/7 but when triggered by that thing or things, then it will turn on to stay alert and aware of the perceived/expected threat.

The good news:

No parents are perfect. But we all do our best with what we have been given in life ourselves!

And although we can disconnect from ourselves as we age, we can also begin to develop the skill of attuning to ourselves. We can begin to know thyself even from very very young ages.

How?

By finding the things that truly light us up on the inside.

Perhaps it’s music, perhaps its art, nature, building, designing, problem solving, dance, video games, cars, planes, science, history, church, spirituality, prayers, books, sports etc.

However there’s a catch! We should seek the things that light us up and inspire us to get up and take action, but we must do it from the heart always!

What am I really saying here?

I am simply saying that whatever it is we do. It will be done best if we are intune with ourselves. Meaning, to have trust, safety, love flowing through me in the activity. Anger, wanting to prove something, and grit for example are also very powerful emotions and motivation. However, for optimum mind-body connection we must allow the nervous system to be open. Open so that life can flow though us. The athlete who can remain calm is often times the best! Same for the artist!

Playing musical instruments can be so natural for us. If we truly feel and hear the music inside of us then it’s just a matter of learning good technique and practicing in a good state of being.

Where meditation comes in:

Okay so now we know that if we want to play an instrument our best. We must be at our best inside!

There are many forms of meditation. And i will be sharing specific techniques in upcoming blogs, but for now i will say:

Before you sit down and practice:

-take time to let go of your day. If it has been a busy day at school, or at the office/jobsite then just acknowledge inside that that is where we are coming from

-bring awareness to the body. The slower and more curious we can be about how our body feels, without judgment! the more “inside” of our body we will be. This is how we can begin to attune to ourselves

-breathe! So many techniques we can discuss but for now just try 2-6 consecutive deep inhalations and exhalations

-move the body. Sometimes our body does not desire stillness but desires movement! If you need to run around, shake, dance, or express words, sound etc then do it! Any form of intentional movement is going to work great here!

The reality:

Attention span is a real thing and we must practice cultivating it daily or else we can cultivate other more distracting habits

For children 0-4: I would simply recommend more quiet time. Time outside, in nature, or even just at home in our coziest spot. We are natural meditators at this age so I would keep it simple! Sometimes my 3 year old catches me in my morning meditation and she actually will actually come and cuddle up next to me in stillness. This reminds me that as adults our children attune to us! And our state of being. Believe me, I’m not always zen-ed out. And I know my daughter and students can feel when I’m not really present.

Children ages 4-7: We are still natural meditators at this age :) However now we can start to bring in different meditation techniques/practices but lets keep it fun! The breath is a great place to start. Ask your child to: take 3 very slow deep inhales and exhales, then observe how and where the breath natural flows and moves in the body, then 3 slow breaths again, then observe and repeat. This can really help anchor a child back in! Much more I could say on this that it deserves a blog post in itself

Children ages 7-13: Okay here the analytical/thinking mind is growing. And growing fast! But hey we are still natural meditators here too! With how busy kid’s lives are with stuff at this age group, we may need to set a timer. 2 minutes. Eyes closed. And just breathe! OR, hand over heart, and feel heart beat for 3 minutes. These are just some examples. More to come

Children ages 13 + : Some serious meditation can be done here! But the technique must should resonate with the person. Starting short and small is still key. Include all that the previous age groups have done but know that at this age the attention span must be continually sharpened. In a loving way of course!

Adults: Let’s keep it simple. In fact, if you have no meditation experience that is often times the best. Because you have no expectations on the process and you can sometimes enter flow state much easier this way. If you have a very active analytical mind, then we must acknowledge that and be patient with ourselves!

Specific practices:

I will be writing very specific practices in upcoming blog posts! If this sparked some curiousity but left you with questions about how to help yourself/your child meditate, then please contact me! I’m happy to share specific advice. I really wanted to just go general here and start to introduce the idea of meditation and how it can benefit our lives!

Talk to you all soon. All the best

-Nazaret Castillo

Published: February 5, 2025