ALL over the world, people
are re-discovering the innate benefits of singing. From
reducing stress levels, curing depression to strengthening
community bonding - there's nothing better than humming
a song. Songs have carried, and still carry, culture:
wisdom, knowledge, history and the joys, struggles and
sorrows of the people. Singing promotes health: breathing,
circulation and digestion. Research has identified several
benefits of regular singing, including examples of people
who claim that it helped them recover from strokes and
heart attacks.
There's nothing like singing for generating a feel good
factor, which can have a tangible impact on your sense
of well-being. Avinash Kumar 28, a BPO manager in Delhi,
was on the verge of losing his job and went into severe
depression. Apart from dieting and exercise, doctors advised
him to listen to music for half-an-hour in the morning
and another half-an-hour in the evening, basically to
make him feel better. "I was asked to listen to the
sitar and Indian ragas something from which I have benefited
greatly. Today, my outlook towards life is positive,"
says Kumar.
Dr Jitendra Nagpal, senior consultant, psychiatry, Moolchand
Medcity, New Delhi opines, "The health benefits of
singing are both physical and psychological. Singing has
physical benefits. Being an aerobic activity, it increases
oxygenation in the blood stream. It also exercises major
muscle groups in the upper body. It bears psychological
benefits too by reducing stress through the action of
the endocrine system, which is linked to our sense of
emotional well-being. Psychological benefits are also
evident when people sing together by strengthening community
bonding."
Singing activates the relationship bond between loved
ones too. "Sound waves have a positive effect on
our nervous system and a therapeutic effect on negative
emotions like anger, anxiety, psychosomatic problems and
depression. Therefore, music therapy is advised in the
case of these problems to achieve triple H - health, happiness
and harmony in life," adds Dr Nagpal.
Music is also rooted in diverse religions. Dr H K Chopra,
a Delhi-based cardiologist affirms, "Human beings
originated from sound. All the five sensations - touch,
hear, smell, vision and taste have their primary component
in the sound. We acquire optimum health when there's a
balance between the rhythm of the sound inside and outside
us. Singing is the food for our soul." Sound also
benefits children. Children subjected to natural sounds
always have better health as opposed to those subjected
to harsh traffic sounds. The latter usually suffer from
high blood pressure and hearing nerve deafness. "When
pregnant women are subjected to music therapy, child growth
is normal and intelligence is high. Reflexes of comatose
patients too respond positively to music therapy in ICUs.
By singing, you enliven your prana (life force), tejas
(glow), and ojas (intelligence), thereby living up to
your full potential," concludes Dr Chopra.
Music without words means leaving behind the mind. And leaving behind the mind is meditation.
Meditation returns you to the source. And the source of all is sound. — Kabir
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