More than ever, people are overworked and over-stressed. The online world has given us access to an overwhelming amount of news and information that threatens our safety, including war, global warming, racism, and deadly viruses.
The number of people taking their own lives in America continues to rise as pressures in our daily life increase. According to the CDC, about 1 in 10 Americans over age 12 are taking anti-depressants. However, one practice that many alternative doctors employ is not in the form of a pill.
Meditation has been used for hundreds of years and has many benefits, especially when coupling meditation with music. And the best part is, it’s free.
What Is Meditation?
Meditation is the active process to be inactive. It is when you purposefully calm your mind and heal your spirit. Ground-breaking studies have found it beneficial for people who suffer from anxiety, depression, pain, and more.
There are many ways to meditate, including yoga and chakra meditation. Each has its unique process, but each has the common goal: to ease the storm within and find the soothing peace that can only come from inner stillness.
Practicing meditation for just a few hours each day can help alleviate mental health issues and help reduce blood pressure. Meditation is even known to expand your life expectancy.
Well-known Colombian singer J Balvin uses meditation to help with his panic attacks. The benefits of meditation are boundless.
What Is Meditation Music?
Music therapy has been used for hundreds of years. Many believe music is the universal language of the soul. Because of its harmonious frequencies, it can communicate to our bodies on a mostly subliminal level.
The power of the bass or drums can create feelings of strength, rage, or sexual desire without any words to accompany them.
Softer, soothing instruments, such as the flute or harp, can make a person feel like floating through the clouds towards the heavens.
This type of music could be religious, but it more commonly links with modern music composers who create meditation music for those in need.
The Benefits of Meditation Music for Relaxation and Focus
There are many benefits to adding some soothing music to your meditation practice. It can help to calm your mind without needing any conscious effort.
Meditation has also been proven to lower a person’s stress, eliminate the tension caused by frustrations, and bring about your mental health. Meditation music has even proven to help those fighting drug addiction.
Music will help guide a meditative person into a deeper state. That is why it is essential to have meditation music to add to your program.
There are dozens of websites where you can listen to free music for meditation and yoga. Here is a list of the best sources.
Websites To Find Meditation Music
10. Spotify
Spotify is one of the leading websites for musical selections. You can find artists, even those considered obscure, within their vast databanks.
You can look up some of the great composers of the 20th century and compile a meditation playlist to your liking.
There are thousands of pre-made playlists made not only by those more musically inclined but also by other uses of Spotify to help them ease their anxiety and depression.
9. YouTube
Probably the second most popular website is YouTube. From funny clips of cats to documentaries on the criminal, there are mountains of forms of entertainment to be searched.
It is also where you can find great videos that feature meditation music. Some go on for hours with deep, relaxing melodies that are good for sleep. Many are accompanied by visual graphics that help to soothe the viewer.
Whether you want electronic-based melodies or songs played on ancient instruments, YouTube can supply you with the atmosphere you need to calm your mind.
8. Free Music Archive
FreeMusicArchive.org is an excellent catalog of the Creative Commons licensed music that can be accessed for meditation music and many different genres.
These songs can be downloaded and used freely, so long as the author of the music is credited should the piece be published on a public forum. That is a requirement of the Creative Commons license.
The database is vast, with most results generating at least 15,000 results. However, this does mean that quality can be diminished as extensive selections will bring about amateur composters.
7. Tune Pocket
TunePocket.com is a multi-genre library with thousands of music tracks, loops, and sound effects. They can be mashed together and compiled to create an excellent meditation soundtrack.
The soothing melodies can help you find inner peace while practicing your yoga. Those wishing to add in sound effects can help give a sense of being a monastery or out in nature during a thunderstorm.
Whatever kind of mood that is trying to achieve, TunePocket is a great resource.
6. Pond 5
Pond 5 advertises as a service for those who wish to work within or study the visual arts. They not only have a database of music and sound effects but also of stock videos.
It may seem an odd choice, but the music held within is vast, and the system is easy for even the most novice computer user.
5. Zen Radio
Unlike other websites on this list, Zen Radio is one for those who do not wish to spend hours trying to listen to tons of melodies and compile them into a playlist.
The website is full of already crafted songs that can give you the atmosphere you intend. The music will continuously play as a radio-based website with little to no commercial breaks to disrupt your meditative state.
Zen Radio has genres from East Asia to styles that help quite the tiniest spirits. It is incredible the effects meditation music can have on young children.
4. Music of Wisdom
Are you uncertain what kind of music you may want to add to your meditation regimen? Perhaps you like nature-based sounds but want to give different cultural melodies a try?
The Music of Wisdom website can help you try them. Each month there will be a bundle of medication music available for download. Then, an email will come to the subscriber with a link to the new bundle each month.
The music on Music of Wisdom is crafted with the intent of helping those who are practicing solo meditation. The music is also suitable for those leading instructional meditation courses. You can find meditation music of any genre within their massive databank.
3. Soothing Relaxation
Peder B. Helland is a Norwegian composer who specializes in making relaxing melodies. He started his career in his teenage years and has created many albums with a strong soothing effect on their listeners. Peder’s website, Soothing Relaxation, caters to his expansive career and allows users to download them in a few different formats. You can also compile them from other albums and draw from the YouTube compositions. However, they will only be in audio form.
2. Zen Mix
An unconventional choice, ZenMix radio is not a completely free website. They offer some bundles that come with a fee to use, but these are also compiled melodies that are entirely 100% free.
You can use the option to download the audio files, or you can choose to follow the link that will bring you to the YouTube website. Some will only be the songs with a static image to allow the effects of the music to take hold.
1. Enlightened Audio
Enlightened Audio is specifically designed to help people find their best meditation music. They have already curated playlists for those seeking to stimulate their brainwaves or to hear angelic music to achieve a higher sense of self.
These are all royalty-free songs that are composed by Christopher Lloyd Clarke. They are great for holistic healing and can make yoga more fun.
Should you wish to purchase most tracks, they can cost anywhere between $75-$90, but there are generous discounts if a credit pack is purchased in advance.
This article originally appeared on Wealth of Geeks.