down or calm down, but may not
know why it settles them down or
how to choose other music that will
do the same thing.
heartbeat and create more focus.
My favorites for long drives are
big band dance music and lively
Spanish guitar.
So, if you have had one of those
hectic days and need to calm down,
look through your music collection
for one of your favorites that has a
steady beat of one beat per second.
Change Your Tune
If you’re not sure how to do this,
as you listen, count one thousand,
two thousand, three thousand and
so on, to approximate one beat per
second. Once you have found one of
your favorite tunes with a beat close
to this, listen to it for around five
minutes or more. You will find that
your breathing and your heartbeat
will slow down, lowering your blood
pressure, and you will begin to relax.
The reverse is also true. If you
are on a long drive and need to
stay awake, look for music with
a lively beat to speed up your
Resonance is defined as the
frequency at which something
naturally vibrates, like a tuning
fork, an oxygen atom, your desk,
your cells, your heart. Everything
has a natural frequency —or
sound. Many of these natural
frequencies can be affected or
changed by other frequencies in
the environment. This is called
sympathetic vibration, or forced
resonance. For example, when
you walk into a busy mall, your
resonance changes. The bright
lights, music, and crowds of
people affect you. When you
walk into a forest, your resonance
changes. You may find yourself
walking slower as you enjoy
the sights and sounds of nature
around you.
You are an orchestra of frequencies,
of all of the sounds of every part of
you, singing together all at once. This
is your resonance. This orchestra,
or your resonance, changes its tune
all the time, as your thoughts and
emotions change.
The resonance of a piece of music
will also affect your personal
resonance. Your resonance,
beginning with your heartbeat,
changes with the beat and rhythm
of the music around you, as I
mentioned earlier. Your resonance
is also affected by low sounds, like
a tuba or subwoofer, and by high
sounds, like flutes and birdsong.
This leads to two principles to keep
in mind when you want to use
music or sound for your health:
•
•
Low frequency sounds
and slow rhythms tend to
discharge excess nervous
energy, like stress, from
your nervous system. When
you have had a really tough
day, reach for sounds that
discharge that energy and
create more relaxation—slow
rhythms and deep bass.
High frequency sounds and
fast rhythms charge the
nervous system. When you
need to stay more alert reach
for higher frequencies, like
flute, clarinet, or birdsong, and
faster rhythms.
Tune in to Nature
Three of the healthiest sounds
that there are for the human being
38 | Eydis Magazine
are water, birdsong, and wind. The
low sounds within water calm your
nervous system, slow down your
heartbeat, lowering blood pressure,
slow down your breathing, and
create a shift in brainwave state
to the alpha state. A calming
relaxation response. Birds will stop
singing if there is danger nearby. As
our human family evolved in nature,
birdsong always made us feel safe.
We learned to listen for when the
birds stopped singing. That’s what
told us that danger was near. In
addition to helping us to feeling
safe, birdsong consists of high
sounds, which charges the nervous
system. Also, you never know when
a bird is going to sing. Their songs
are totally unpredictable. Your brain
loves patterns and constantly looks
for them. But the brain can’t find
any patterns in birdsong. So the
result is the brain becomes alert,
focused, and productive. Wind
helps to give you your bearings. It
helps you to predict the weather,
warning you of an impending
storm or allowing you to bask
in the gentle sounds of a light
summer breeze rustling the leaves
of the trees.
I trust you now have a new way to
look at your music collection!
Sharon Carne is an
author, speaker,
musician, recording
artist, sound healer,
Reiki master, and
consultant. Sharon
is the founder of Sound Wellness, whose
programs are at the forefront of education in
how sound and music can be easily applied
to your everyday life—to reduce stress, help
you concentrate, energize, inspire, support
your health, and so much more.
www.soundwellness.com
eydismedia.com 39