Musical Memories

The other day I was icing down after my physical therapy appointment. It's a way to chill out, both literally and figuratively. My body is all wrapped up, ice bag snugly fitting over my shoulder, knees and feet elevated. My therapist places a a heating pad over my abdomen because he knows I tend to get too cold during my "chill out" sessions. Music is usually playing in the background and sometimes I pay attention, other times not so much. Since the ice is on for 12 minutes, I am guaranteed time to do nothing at least twice each week.

This past visit a tune came on the radio by a well-known Australian artist, Tina Arena with the song called "Sorrento Moon". I recognized it immediately and found it unusual to be hearing an Aussie songstress belting it out in my American desert oasis as she's not one who made it big in the American music market.

I've written about music a few times before in my weekly thought so it's not a new or unfamiliar theme. What was striking this time around was how I was immediately transported and transformed for the few minutes that the song played. I closed my eyes, tapped my feet and as Tina sang the lyric:

"I sang your praises daily
And we let ourselves get swept away"


and I was...swept away.

Lying wrapped in ice, I reflected on Sorrento, a beachside town on the southeastern part of Port Philip Bay, where we used to go to get out of the big city of Melbourne. Nearby was the landmark Portsea pub a great place to grab lunch and swim near the pier.

I was taken back to how Tina Arena started as a star on a show called "Young Talent Time" and grew from being a young vocal ingenue into a more sensual pop icon (much to the stunned bewilderment of many older fans). Her voice formed her career as well as created a filebox of my own memories.

So what's this got to do with yoga?

Music is another way we connect to our deeper selves. It's a channel not only of vibration and mantra repetition, but a way of expressing emotion. Think of your favorite movie soundtrack and how evocative it is even without any visual images. It's because we create our own feelings and inner images simply through hearing sound that truly strikes a chord within us.

As we continue along our path, we have our own soundtracks. We have music and songs that take us back to certain parts of our experience yet also provide a secure anchor when situations challenge us. Music can be a way to center ourselves, calm raging thoughts and evoke a feeling that everything will be alright.

How many times have you used music to make yourself feel better? Do you have an iTunes play list that lights your inner spark? If not...time to get busy writing your own musical score for your life and play it LOUD!

Rock On!